Logbook · 8 places

What to see and do in Castell de Mur

What to see and do in Castell de Mur (Pallars Jussà, Lleida): 8 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 2 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Castell de Mur

Towns near Castell de Mur

What to see in Llimiana 3.7 km · 5 places
What to see in Gavet de la Conca 5 km · 5 places
What to see in Tremp 8.4 km · 12 places
What to see in Sant Esteve de la Sarga 9.4 km · 5 places
What to see in Talarn 11 km · 8 places
What to see in Àger 14 km · 15 places
What to see in Isona i Conca Dellà 14 km · 15 places
What to see in Salàs de Pallars 14 km · 6 places

Spain › Catalonia › Lleida › Pallars Jussà › Castell de Mur

What to see and do in Castell de Mur

Castell de Mur
Village
Municipality that takes its name from the castle and monastery of Santa Maria de Mur, a jewel of Pallars Romanesque architecture.
Monastery of Santa Maria de Mur
Monument
The monastery of Santa Maria de Mur is a former Augustinian monastery in Pallars Jussà, founded in 1069 by the counts Ramon IV and Valença and consecrated that same year by Bishop Guillem d'Urgell, with a wall that surrounded it together with the castle, forming a large fortification. The church, in Lombard Romanesque style, has three naves with a barrel vault and three semicircular apses, originally dedicated to Santa María, San Pedro and San Esteban; its wall paintings from the central apse, removed in 1919 and sold to an antique dealer, are now kept in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, while those from the south apsidiole are in the National Art Museum of Catalonia. Declared a historic-artistic monument in 1920, it retains a 12th-century cloister with capitals decorated with geometric, plant and human motifs.
Castle of Mur
Monument
11th-century Romanesque castle with walled perimeter walls between 14 and 18 m high, one of the tallest defensive structures in Catalonia; documented since 969 and formally since 1044, when Count Ramon III of Pallars transferred it, it passed through Arnau Mir de Tost and became the seat of the barony of the Mur family. Excavations in 1977 revealed remains of an early medieval settlement with cyclopean walls. A Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's top heritage-protection category) since 1988, with a triangular chamber restored in 1986.
Castle of Guàrdia
Monument
Castle from the late 11th or early 12th century with an original triangular tower with rounded corners; the eastern stretch of wall survives (24 m long and 3 m high, with five arrow slits) along with the tower, about 8 m high with door openings and remains of battlements. It belonged to the counts of Pallars, passed to the Mur family, and in 1381 to Berenguer d'Abella; it visually controlled the Terradets gorge together with the castle of Mur. A Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional (Catalonia's top heritage-protection category).
Terradets Reservoir
Nature
The Terradets reservoir is a dam built in 1935 on the Noguera Pallaresa river, in Pallars Jussà, extending through Llimiana, Gavet de la Conca and Castell de Mur, at the foot of the Montsec massif. The dam, a concrete gravity dam, is 47 metres high with a 160-metre crest length, and holds back 33.2 cubic hectometres over 330 hectares; it is used for hydroelectric production, irrigation and water supply. The tail of the reservoir has become a wetland of about 112 hectares, with meanders and lagoons where great crested grebes, little egrets and avocets breed, and where trout, carp and barbel are fished. Its construction flooded the medieval monastery of San Miguel de Cellers, founded around 1170. It has trails for discovering the area's fauna and flora.
Castell de Mur Main Festival
Activity
The fiesta mayor of Castell de Mur is celebrated next to the Romanesque monastery of Santa Maria de Mur, consecrated on 12 January 1069 by the bishop of Urgell; the murals from its central apse were removed in 1919 and bought in 1921 by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, while those from the side apses reached the museum of Barcelona in 1961.
Consecration of Santa Maria de Mur
Historical milestone
The counts of Pallars Jussà, Ramon V and Valença de Tost, undertook the construction of the church of Santa Maria de Mur shortly after their marriage, between 1057 and 1060. Although it was not finished, it received the consecration of the bishop of Urgell on 12 January 1069, under the original dedication to Santa Maria, Sant Esteve and Sant Pere. It was their son, count Pere Ramon del Pallars, who completed the work: around 1100 he installed a community of Augustinian canons there, buried his parents in the church —his mother Valença in 1111— and is credited with the mural paintings from the early 12th century. Directly linked to Rome, the canonry of Mur remained outside episcopal jurisdiction and, thanks to successive donations, achieved great power.
Sale of the murals of Mur
Historical milestone
The Romanesque paintings of the central apse of Santa Maria de Mur were removed by strappo in 1919 by Italian specialists and bought in 1921 by the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston. Those of the side apses reached the museum in Barcelona in 1961.