Logbook · 14 places

Old Town of Horta de Sant Joan

Horta de Sant Joan, Terra Alta, Tarragona

1 Villages · 6 Monuments · 2 Nature · 2 Activities · 2 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

Spain › Catalonia › Tarragona › Terra Alta › Horta de Sant Joan › Old Town of Horta de Sant Joan

Old Town of Horta de Sant Joan

Monument · Horta de Sant Joan, Terra Alta, Tarragona

The old town of Horta de Sant Joan (Terra Alta), declared Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional (Catalonia's highest level of heritage protection), rises on a hill at the northern end of the Ports de Beseit. The oldest area, oval in shape, occupies the hill where the castle once stood, with spiralling streets; the sector formed around the 14th century around the church square connects with the streets of Santa Anna, de Baix and de Picasso, and it was then that the town walls were raised. The Gothic church of the 14th-15th centuries survives, along with the squares of the Church and Sant Salvador, the town hall and the Casa de la Comanda, from the 16th-17th centuries, and stone-built manor houses. Its landscape, which influenced the work of the young Picasso during his stays in the village, was taken into account when delimiting the protected surroundings.

Photo: Manel Zaera (CC BY-SA 2.0)

What to see and do in Horta de Sant Joan