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Historic Houses
CONSELL MUNICIPAL DE TURISME Ajuntament de la Vall de Bianya
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La Vall de Bianya is a combination of large and small valleys that form a region bursting with meadows, woodland, brooks and streams. The municipality is made up of several small villages spread about the region, most of which are built around Romanesque churches. Country houses, some dating back more than 800 years, plus Romanesque churches are just two of the most important inheritances in our Valley. Most houses are spread about over a region extending nearly a 100 squared kilometres. These houses built stone by stone are the keystone for everyone who has ever lived in the Valley. A valley, which for much time, was a land for passing through, demonstrated by the presence of the Roman Way, but which now wishes to be seen as an hospitable region fully open to showing off all its beauty.
La Vall de Bianya Contents The historic houses
Dossier:
e Bianya La Vall d
1. Les Aulines
11. Mas Llongarriu
2. La Boada
12. Molí d’en Solà
3. El Callís
13. El Perer 14. El Puig
4. El Colomer 5. Mas Colldecarrera
La Vall de Bianya
15. La Riba
6. La Coromina
16. Mas Sobeies
7. L’Esparc
17. La Torre de Sant Pere
8. L’Espunya
18. La Torre de la Vall del Bac
9. Mas Farró
19. La Vila
10. Les Gleies
20. Map of situation
The historic houses in Vall de Bianya
house has been passed down successively until reaching the Fort family, the present day holders of house.
of the most intriguing buildings in the municipality.
The Callis estate has also been subject to reformation with the passing of time, as it is shown by the engraving on the lintel of the front door, where Franco Callís I.H.S. - 1765 is marked.
There is news of the Columbaris family, later on to be known as Colomer, since the 13th century. Because of the lack of a direct heir, the estate’s family name was changed in the 19th century, which after various family disputes became the property of the marriage formed by Maria Puigdemont and Ramon Nogareda, who established their family home there. The Nogareda family is still the owner of the estate.
Les Gleies
Les Aulines
1
In the 18th century the Aulines estate paid tribute to the renowned title holders of Capsacosta. At the end of century Joseph Aulines lived there. He was married to Magdalena Quintana. Their descendents continued as owners of the house until the end of the 19th century, when it was sold to Gaspar Berga, who in turn, a few years later sold it to Narcis Agusti and Concepció Pujol and since has been passed on down to their descendents.
On the lintel above the front door the date 1758 is inscribed. Galleries and vaults were added, probably in the 19th century, which improved the image of the old building a great deal. On the ground floor there are two half-pointed arches, each supported by a reinforcing pillar which extend up to ceiling of the gallery on the first floor. There are four arched openings on this
floor and also on the floor above, coinciding with the ones below. On each side of this added building there is an opening corresponding to the ones before mentioned. La Boada 2 There are accounts of this house dating back to the 15th century, the surname Boada being related to it up until the 19th century. From there on it has been passed down successively to the direct heir right up to this day, to the actual family name Nogareda. The building has been enlarged on different occasions, especially during the 18th century, as shown by engravings on lintels and stones. The dates are: 1749, 1769, 1788 and 1869.
The farmhouse preserves in many of its outbuildings, ceramic tiling from the 18th century and in some places marks from tiles
can be seen. The weave in the wood in the main hall and the old kitchen is of worthwhile interest. It is protected by some wooden folds. The hayloft was constructed in the 18th century, as the inscription <Any 1939 ses fa la era> engraved on one of the stones indicates. Among the stone slabs that cover the floor, there are some which indicate who made them. On one of them you can see: Pau Buxeiter/1738; on another A 15 de/juny de/ fet haches/ rraiol 1738, is marked. There have been improvements made on the house in recent years, above all on the surrounding grounds. Very nearby there is an abundant spring. El Callís
The east façade particularly stands out with its 8 metre long by 3,90 high arcade, that leads out onto a spacious yard. Above this there is a porch gallery, with six half-pointed arches supported by hexagonally cut stone pillars, and on the upper storey three more arches supported by pillars. Callis is one
El Colomer 4
Extensive reforms were undertaken on the manor house in the 18th and 19th centuries, coinciding with the prosperous moments and transformation in the peasantry. On the ground floor there was a stone with the inscription Francisco Colomer mer fecit 1756. Some years later, in 1790, the Colomer mill was built and in the following century the north facade, gallery or porch patio, which have given the unusual and unique aspect to the
whole group of buildings. On the first floor there is an inscription marked on a stone saying: José Colomer ha hecho esa galería en el año 1859 (José Colomer built this gallery in the year 1859).
The front of the house faces the mountainside, where a fountain was built in 1798. Mas Colldecarrera 5 In Miró Bonfill’s (the BishopCount of Besalu) will in 979, it is stated that he possessed an estate with a farmhouse, land and vineyards, where the Mascaró family lived. This is the house that is considered to be the origin,
3
Up until not so many years ago, there was a coat of arms of a dog sawing a piece of wood engraved on the portal of the house. It was the popular heraldic description, referring to the surname of the family that owned the house. In the 15th century, Joan Callis bought the estate of Sant Salvador and since those times the family has always been connected with Sant Salvador de Bianya. Their fortune increased and they built the magnificent manor house there. The
Molí d’en Solà
of the manor of Colldecarrera. The Colldecarrera family have successively owned the manor for twenty-three generations. Of rectangular plan with two slanted roofs, the most prominent facade is on the south-eastern side. Here there are galleries which were built during the Third Carlist War, around the time of the battle of Toix, when governmental troops were overrun and the commanding general, Ramon de Nouvilas, was taken prisoner.
The gallery on the first storey has nine arcades which correspond to the nine on the upper floor and the nine openings with smaller arches on the ground floor. The front door to the house is on the opposite facade, where there is a public chapel dedicated to la Mare de Déu del Roser, which these days is not used for services. The ground floor is destined for stables, barns and other utility functions. La Coromina 6 This old house used to be property of the Santaló family, from Olot. Through marriage it passed on down to the Bolós and Ventós families. It was given as a dowry to Pilar Ventós, who was married to Doctor Isidor Pujador, a renowned traveller, at the end of the 19th century. The reforms and enlargement of the property were due to him, in which he applied the architectural tendencies of eclecticism, de-
veloped during the second half of the 19th century, and afterwards coexisted with modernism and other new fashions, which blend in the house’s diverse stylish elements.
It is a unique building that, because of its collection of styles, contrasts with the practical architecture of surrounding farmhouses. On the top floor of the eastern façade there was once an oriental styled dome and stained glassed gallery, which now is gone. Inside, remarkable, different decorative and architectural elements have been preserved, such as the green majolica banister, which leads to the upper floor and a bathroom where La netedat és mitra vida és mitra vida y Aixogueu-vos S.U.P. is inscribed. During the civil war of 1936-39 the house was used as a military barracks. L’Esparc 7 This house is over a thousand years old, since the allodial title was awarded to Sparago in 979, in the will of Miró II Bonfill, Count of Besalu. Later, in the year 1000, there is talk of the villa belonging to Spargo. Generations of the owners, the Sparg family, successively inherited the estate until Maria Sparg-Alibés and Freixas was wed to Enric Cabrafiga in 1901, the descendents of whom are owners of the manor house up to this day. There are still old stones that
tell of the age of the building, which has been extended on various occasions. Construction in 1748 was important as it gave the building its present structure, with a gallery on the south façade opening onto the first floor and a drying terrace on the floor above. The porch that protects the front door was built in 1954 and acts as a base for the above patio.
Esparc has a collection of farming implements and, from the disappeared vineyards, preserves a large wine cellar, wine vat and wooden press that has the date 1825 inscribed. L’Espunya 8 Reformed in various periods, with additions which have modified the house on all sides, Espunya does not present any architectural features that particularly stand out. In some openings there are lintels that bear inscriptions of names of members of the families that undertook the reformations, such as Bartameu Espuña and Pera Spunya. On another you can find the date 1636 and on the door of the yard there is also an inscription with the date 1789. Inside it still preserves some old furniture, such as, a wardrobe inscribed with the date 1772. Popular tradition holds that Espunya is the oldest house in Bianya. The Spunya family already lived there in medieval times and in December 1611 the abbot at the abbey of Ripoll had a new
establishment built onto the house and its additions in favour of Esteve Spunya, then lord and owner of the estate, under prior provision to pay homage to the abbey, with the obligation for him and his decedents to continue residence as feudal vassals. The deeds of this arrangement were lost or never existed. The Espunya family have been owners of the estate since then up until present day.
Mas Farró 9 The most interesting part of this large manor is the façade which faces south, where you find porch galleries on the ground and first floors, each one formed by nine large arcades. On the
upper floor there are also five more open arcades in the centre, symmetrically placed over the lower floors. These galleries have stone pillars of a similar type and size as others, which can be found in houses in the area, such as Callis and la Vila. On one of the pillars of the gallery on the first floor you can find the year 1747 inscribed.
On the lintel of one of the openings <1681/ Yoan Puigdevall> is marked and on the lintel of the door <Francesc Puigdevall Banet/1733>. The Farró family lived in a house built on the mountainside, very near the present manor to which their successors, the Puigdevall family continuing to be known as Farró, moved.
The Farró manor, when considering the property, is one of the biggest estates in Bianya. In the 18th century the lord of Farró was considered to be one of the richest people in the area. Les Gleies 10 There are no inscriptions on any of the stones that can inform us of any building work done over the years. In the 14th century the Esgleya family were proprietors and in the 18th century it became property of the Jordà family who lived there up until 1940, when it became property of the Dorca family.
In documents from the 17th century it is known as les Iglesias but later on became known
La Boada
as les Glebas, as is noted in the municipal register in 1859. In the 18th century the estate was split into three parts, one of which reached the stream from Vern spring and another was the “fifth” of dejús la rectoria. The most interesting part of the rectangular house is the southern facade, where there is a porch gallery on the first floor, formed by six half-pointed arches supported by pillars, and another four-arched gallery, open to the upper floor. The present day roof was built in the 18th century and has been recently reinforced.
Llongarriu 11 The first news we have of this manor house, which concerns the Noguer family, is from the 14th century. By definition of rights, it was inherited by Joan Llongarriu, alias Joncar. From then on, up to 1987, it belonged to the Llongarriu family.
This rectangular plan was reformed and transformed throughout the years. There are inscriptions on the main façade, On the lintel of the front
door there is the herd mark, the name Jaume Llongarriu and the date 1828. On the border of the fountain next to the drinking and laundry troughs, there are the initials F.LL., and the date 1844. On the south facing facade there is a porch gallery with four halfpointed arches, which was built in the 19th century. On a clear day, you can see the seaside town of l’Estartit. On the southwest façade the central balcony particularly stands out and also, on the upper floor, a gallery with six half-pointed arcades. Llongarriu was bought as an important estate. Molí d’en Solà 12 There are documents dating from the 14th century that mention the house of Solà, situated quite near the mill, in which the Solà family ended up living. There was work done on the house in the 18th century, the testimony of which is engraved on the lintel of the front door on the ground floor, where the name Vicenç Sola and the date of 1715 can be seen. In the 19th century, Pere Solà extended and reformed the house, building the porch gallery with seven arcades supported by stone pillars, which has come to be the most characteristic architectural element of the house. There is also a stone with the inscription 1834 and a sun dial that is marked 1855. The Godori-Rius family, the present owners, has rented it out to be a farmhouse residence. On
the first floor the square hall, from which you have access to the bedrooms, particularly stands out.
The porch barn which now has other uses is situated on the upper floor. On the ground floor, there is an old, out of use, flour mill and where there were once some old stables, there is a good collection of traditional farm implements and objects for the care of livestock on show. El Perer 13 A rectangular plan with a squared central dome, finished with a four-sided slanted roof, the most charming part of the house corresponds to the north facade, where there is a porch gallery with five large arcades, which forms part of the first floor.
are still owners up until today.
There is news of the Perer family since the 13th century, owners of the house until the 18th century. The links with history are lost apart from Benet Perter, who was the lord of the manor in 1626. Nearly at the end of the 18th century it is known that it belonged to Francesc Pla, the descendents of whom sold it in the 19th century. In 1911 it was taken over by the Mulleras family, complying with the testament wish of the philanthropist Camil Mulleras y Garrós. El Puig 14 The Puig family was already living in Sant Salvador de Bianya in the fourteenth century, and over the years their assets grew with the addition of properties located in the valleys of Bianya and Bac.
It is a house with very straightforward architecture, restored in a very respectful manner, making it easy to adapt to modern day commodities. The front door is at the side which faces the mountain, where the renowned Lovers Spring is found, which provides the house with water.
View from the Espunya house
The surname Puig remained linked to the house until, at the beginning of the XIX century, the heiress Esperanza Puig married Bartomeu Ferrusola from Montagut. Their successors kept the property until 1891, when it was sold to Isidor Bidder, whose offspring
The present day building was reformed in the 18th century, as the dates 1754, 1757 are carved on two lintels. From the main hall, situated in the centre of the first floor, you can reach the porch gallery that was built in the mid 19th century onto the south facade. This gallery has eight arcades supported by stone pillars, similar in design to other houses in Bianya. There are also arcades on the top floor, the ground floor being occupied by stables and other outbuildings. La Riba 15 There is news of the existence of this manor house since the 14th century. It was owned by the Riba family. An heiress, Magdalena Riba was married to Joan Burch y Sanyols in the 18th century. Their offspring continued living in the house until 1961, when the estate was sold to a business company.
At the end of the 19th century a project was undertaken to have reforms done and decorate the building, but it never got off the ground and finally was substituted by one drawn out by the architect Rafael Masó y Valenti. In this modernist reformation, with important exterior decoration, the splendid porch galleries of the main façade at the south particularly stand out, at the top of which, there is a unique encrusted sundial that bears the
inscription Conto només que / les hores serenes / Llohat sia Ntre. Déu. The project was promoted by Joaquim Burch in 1906 and was finished five years later, after the house had passed into the hands of the heir, Josep M. Burch and Sitjar. It was adapted to the needs of the industry that was installed in the building. It has a private chapel illuminated by stained glass windows in which there are patron saints related with livestock and veterinary activities. Mas Sobeies 16 This used to be the estate of one of the stately families in the land of Bianya: the Socarrats. We have news of this family since the 11th century and the name was kept up until 1496 when Francesa de Socarrats was married to Narcis Mas d’Amont, alias Sobeies. From this time on, the house went on to be known as Sobeies, the name which has remained linked to it up to these days, even though various generations of Socarrats were owners until the 20th century.
The building was modified at different times in the past. At the eastern façade, touching the stairs that lead up to the stately home, there is a capitol, which is considered to be preromanesque, being part of the original church of Sant Andreu de Socarrats. On the lintel of the front door to the house, the date 1821 is marked and on
the spring which is between the house and the church: Simon Socarrats - 1739. On the lintel of the front door, on the part leading to the landlord’s quarters, the anagram of Jesus Christ (IHS) is inscribed, placed within the date 1769. At the southern façade there is an interesting and spacious yard. La Torre de Sant Pere 17 Guillem Corona, who belonged to a noble local family, had this house built in the 15th century after the purchase of properties from the Bianya, the noble family which had previously lived at the country estate of Puig. It is situated near to the church of Sant Pere.
In the year 1462, the Remences, motivated by resentment and grievances, the Corona family had to leave the house and the following year moved to Prat de Molló, maintaining the title of lords of the coat of arms of Bianya. Afterwards it went on to be property of families from Olot and finally it passed on to the Vayreda family. The landscape painter Joquim Vayreda moved there and, according to Enric Galway, was inspired by the serenity of the surroundings for his artistic creations. In spite of the additions built on to the Castle at different times in the past, it maintains the aspect of a stronghold. In the keystone of the vault, there is the old shield of the Corona family,
formed by two crowns. On the window situated above the door which had been converted into the front door to the landlord’s residence, there are remainders of gothic trilobite arches. The house once had a private chapel. La Torre de la Vall del Bac 18
La Vila 19 This large farmhouse has been reformed on various occasions, especially in the 18th century. In the 15th century it was known as Llavita, name which was substituted by la Vila when occupied by the family of the same name.
This old stronghold is a medieval construction, with Romanesque facing on the ground floor containing Gothic elements along with other more modern touches in the rest of the building. A large spacious hall from the Romanesque period is of particular interest. It is 15.5m long by 5.3m wide and has five large arcades that cross the hall from north to south, upon which the main floor is laid. In the southeast corner of the building you can find the old defence tower, from which the house gains its name and is of particular interest.
The history of the Torre de la Vall del Bac has been related with the Bac or Desbac family, a family of knights that resided and had other properties in the area. This family, of which there is news since the 15th century, took over the castle at Rocabruna as soon as they abandoned their manor house in the Vall del Bac. It was restored not so long ago, and recently, it has been adapted to be a residence for rural tourism.
In the 19th century it went on to be property of the Castanys family and later through inheritance, the Trincheria family. At the house, there are stones and lintels with dates corresponding to the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. It has a private chapel, dedicated to la Mare de Deú de los Dolors, and contains particularly important furniture. As in other houses in Bianya, the gallery, built on the southeast façade, is one of the most modern parts of the building. It has four half-pointed arcades, that arise from stone pillars which are very similar in detail and proportion to other manor houses in the municipality, such as Farró and Llac. On the ground floor below the gallery there are three arches. There are towers at the extreme end of the building which gives it the aspect of once having been a stronghold.
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Road access
Tourist Office
Coming from the Coming from the, Coming from the, North, from France: South, from Barcelona: West, from Madrid:
Coming from the, East from Girona:
AP7, exit 3 in Figueres N-260 and A26 exit 84 in Olot N-260 to the Vall de Bianya
C66 through Banyoles to Besalú A26 exit 84 in Olot N-260 to the Vall de Bianya
C17 through Vic to Manlleu C37 to Olot N-260 to the Vall de Bianya
Ajuntament de la Vall de Bianya
Interpretation Centre of Vall de Bianya
“La Vall dels Sentits” Antigues escoles de Sant Salvador Tel: 872005008 / 972290933
A2 through Zaragoza to Cervera C25 to Vic and continue on the C-37 to Olot N-260 to the Vall de Bianya
Generalitat de Catalunya Departament de Governació i Relacions Institucionals
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Fons europeu de desenvolupament regional Una manera de fer europa
Consell Municipal de Turisme de la Vall de Bianya - Ctra. Camprodon, 2 - 17813 LA VALL DE BIANYA E-mail: turisme@valldebianya.cat - www.valldebianya.com