Besalú

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Besalú
Location
General information
Province Girona
Comarca Garrotxa
Demonym Besaluenc, besaluenca
Altitude 151 m AMSL
Population 2,265 (2007)

Besalú is a town in the comarca of Garrotxa, in Catalonia.

The town was once more important being the capital of the medieval county of Besalú, whose territory was roughly the same size as the current comarca of Garrotxa but sometime extended as far as Corbières, Aude, in France. Wilfred the Hairy, credited with the unification of Catalonia, was Count of Besalú. The town was also the birthplace of Raimon Vidal, a medieval troubadour.

Besalú was designated as a historical national property ("conjunt històric-artístic") in 1966. The town's most significant feature is its 12th-century Romanesque bridge over the Fluvià river, which features a gateway at its mid-point. The church of Sant Pere was consecrated in 1003. The town features arcaded streets and squares and also a restored Mikva, a ritual Jewish bath dating from the eleventh or twelfth century, located in the lower town near the river.

Population: 2,265 (2007).


[edit] See also


[edit] References


[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Coordinates: 42°12′N, 2°42′E