Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí (2000)
Spain

Back to index

The narrow Vall de Boí is situated in the high Pyrénées, in the Alta Ribagorça region and is surrounded by steep mountains. Each village in the valley contains a Romanesque church, and is surrounded by a pattern of enclosed fields. There are extensive seasonally-used grazing lands on the higher slopes. 

• Spain 1961. Exhibition of European Romanesque Art.
  • "Port of Glory" at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. 
  • Inner courtyard of the Dominican Monastery at Silos.
  • "Madonna" in the church of Irache (Navarra). 
  • "Christ Pantocrator". Wall fresco in the church of San Climent, Taüll, Lleida (Lérida). See the stamp featuring the church immediately below. 

The significant developments in Romanesque art and architecture in the churches of the Vall de Boí testify to profound cultural interchange across medieval Europe, and in particular across the mountain barrier of the Pyrenees. 

• Spain 2001. Romanesque churches of Vall the Boí. The stamp is a cut-out of a souvenir sheet containing 12 different stamps from the Spanish World Heritage. The stamp is shown largely oversized for a better view. 

The Churches of the Vall de Boí are an especially pure and consistent example of Romanesque art in a virtually untouched rural setting. 

Other World Heritage Sites in Spain (on this site). Please refer to the UNESCO-listing, Spain-section, for further information on the individual properties.