Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Vilalba dels Arcs

What to see and do in Vilalba dels Arcs (Terra Alta, Tarragona): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Activities · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Vilalba dels Arcs

Towns near Vilalba dels Arcs

What to see in la Fatarella 7.1 km · 5 places
What to see in Corbera d'Ebre 7.4 km · 7 places
What to see in Gandesa 8 km · 16 places
What to see in la Pobla de Massaluca 8.1 km · 3 places
What to see in Batea 8.7 km · 10 places
What to see in Bot 12 km · 6 places
What to see in el Pinell de Brai 15 km · 7 places
What to see in Fayón 15 km · 14 places

Spain › Catalonia › Tarragona › Terra Alta › Vilalba dels Arcs

What to see and do in Vilalba dels Arcs

Vilalba dels Arcs
Village
Vilalba dels Arcs is a municipality in the Terra Alta comarca, in the province of Tarragona, situated in the Voravall valley, among the mountains of la Fatarella, where the hill of la Gaeta stands out. It was part of the Templar domains of the commandery of Miravet; its settlement charter was granted in 1224 by the commander Bernat de Campanisa to four settlers. In 1317 it passed to the Hospitallers, who created the commandery of Vilalba at the end of the 15th century, an era of splendour reflected in the new 17th-century church. In 1643, during the Reapers' War, Castilian troops sacked the town. With 611 inhabitants, it preserves remains of its medieval castle and walls, and the almond tree is today one of the crops that define its dryland landscape.
Wall of Vilalba dels Arcs
Monument
Remains of the Gothic wall, probably from the 14th-15th centuries, still visible today in the streets surrounding the old town centre of Vilalba dels Arcs; the 1224 charter of settlement, granted by the Templar commander of la Ribera, already mentions a castle that predates these defences.
Castle of Vilalba dels Arcs
Monument
Castle that gives its name to the town of Vilalba dels Arcs, in the Terra Alta. The first documentary mention of the municipality is a charter of settlement of 10 April 1224, granted by the Templar commander of Miravet and Ribera, Bernat de Campànies; the castle is already cited in that document. In 1236, when the district of Ribera was dissolved, Vilalba passed to the house of Ascó. Its present construction dates from the 14th-16th centuries, with pointed-arch windows possibly from the 13th century and two pointed arcades in the inner courtyard, whose walls rest on the rock. In 1647 it was recorded as very deteriorated, after housing Spanish and French troops. It is declared Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional (Catalonia's highest level of heritage protection).
Vilalba dels Arcs Winter Main Festival
Activity
Vilalba dels Arcs celebrates its Festa Major d'Hivern in honour of Sant Sebastià on 20 January, with the ringing of bells and fireworks, a procession, a solemn mass and the traditional Dansada de Vilalba with pa de torrons; the village also has its festa major d'estiu for Sant Llorenç in August.
Hermitage of Vilalba dels Arcs
Monument
Vilalba dels Arcs preserves the hermitage of Sant Pau, popularly known as "Sant Pau de la Roquerola" for being built beneath a rock, about 12 km from the village; on the Calvari also stand the chapels of the Mare de Déu dels Dolors, the village's patron saint, in Baroque style, and of the Mare de Déu de Montserrat.
Almond of the Terra Alta
Food and drink
The almond occupies, along with the vine and the olive, the dry lands of the plateau. The harvest is gathered at the end of summer and supplies turróns, sugared almonds and the toasted almond picadas that thicken the traditional stews.