Sant Pere and Sant Vicenç: Romanesque Echoes in Besalú

Few architectural examples evoke history as well as those offered by Besalú, both for their overall value and for the individual elements that make them up, telling us about the medieval past of the town of Bisuldunum, an independent county from the 10th to the 12th century, specifically in 1111, when the County of Besalú was incorporated into the County of Barcelona.

In the heart of this old place, the monastery of Sant Pere de Besalú and the church of Sant Vicenç stand as witnesses to the Romanesque splendor that characterizes this medieval town, and help us better understand the social and religious life of an era in which these churches were neuralgic centers of the community.

The church of Sant Pere de Besalú, part of an ancient monastery founded in 977, is notable for the originality of its ambulatory, an exclusive passage space for the numerous pilgrims who passed through Besalú in the medieval period. Meanwhile, the church of Sant Vicenç, located at the heart of the main square, dominates the surroundings with its imposing facade and an interior sobriety with an almost total absence of decorative elements, interrupted only by the window and the rose window of the apse.

With the sound of bells in the background that will transport you to bygone times, enjoy from the perspective of the Prat de Sant Pere square this Romanesque ensemble that has even become a film set.