Property Net Spain Barcelona - Bages and surrounding area - Towns and Maps

Bages

The largest region in Barcelona, situated inland to the west of the province, Bages is largely a rural, wine growing area. The name of the region is said to have derived from Bacus, the god of wine. It is a mountainous area away from the coast, dotted with villages, farmhouses and small towns; the capital of the region is the town of Manresa. Rich in Romanesque art, the architecture differs from the style of its neighbouring regions, dating mostly from the 12th century. Surrounded by mountains including the Sant Llorenç del Munt and the Montserrat natural parks, the area attracts visitors to its beautiful natural areas and its interesting towns and villages.

Manresa
An industrial town of 65,000 people, Manresa is the capital of Bages. It is divided into two parts by the rivers that meet below the town. The older part of Manresa is connected to the modern suburbs connected by 2 bridges, one stone bridge of Roman origins and a 19th century iron bridge. Manresa has a number of important buildings including the Gothic church of Santa Maria, the Dominican monastery and the interesting Baroque church of San Ignasi, which is built over a famous cavern that was used as a hermitage by the saint in the 16th century. There are wonderful views from the monastary, which adjoins the cavern and is used to accommodate the thousands of pilgrims who travel to Manresa to see this cavern. The church of Santa Maria is a spectacular sight, towering on a rocky outpost. It took two hundred years to build this massive church whose façade is decorated by diving gargoyles.
Manresa Golf Club is just outside the town.
Barcelona is about 60km from Barcelona on the E-19 motoryway. There is a train station in the town, which is on the Barcelona – Lleida route.

Next to Manresa is Sant Fruitos De Bages, a town of 5300 people and the wonderful Benedictine monastery Sant Benet de Bages. A couple of kilometres to the northwest is the town of Sant Joan De Vilatorrada, with 8500 inhabitants.

In the south of Bages are a number of small towns and villages in the Bages countryside. Pont De Vilomara I Rocafort is 6km south of Manresa on the E-19 motorway with 2400 inhabitants. The local industry here is concerned with the manufacture of textiles. East of Pont, the village of Mura is situated away from the main roads in the countryside and has a population of 220. The pre-Romanesque church of Marquet o Santa Maria de Matadars, a fine example of architecture in Bages is located here. There is a public swimming pool in Mura.
Further south on the E-19 motorway, Sant Vicenç De Castellet is a small town of 7500 people. Located in a geological area that is rich in quartz, limestone and sandstone, the area has always been an important mining area and natural stone has been mined here on an industrial level since the 19th century. Characteristic of the area is the “Sant Vincenç” stone, a valuable limestone used to build many houses in the surrounding areas.
Just west of Sant Vincenç is the village of Castellgali (800 people). The 18-hole Club de Golf Roqueta is located here.

Castellbell i el Vilar
Set in forested countryside, the Castellbell i el Vilar is a small industrial town of 3000 people, involved in the textile industry. The outstanding castle of Castellbell is an arresting sight, built as it is on an imposing rocky outcrop; the Romanesque church of Sant Vicenç de Castellbell and the bell tower of Santa Maria del Vilar are also much visited sights. The town is approached by an elegant stone bridge, whose arches span the Llobregat river. Castellbell is 15km from Manresa.
West of Castellbell, on the edge of the Bages region, Marganell is a village in the countryside of 215 people. The Romanesque church of Santa Cecília is located here.

Monistrol de Montserrat
South of Manresa, Monistrol is situated next to the mountain of Monserrat, a spectacular sight and an area shrouded in legend. Its strangely shaped rocky outcrops and sheer rock faces have been created by natural erosion over the last 25 million years. Among the tales told about the mountain’s history is that the Holy Grail was discovered on its slopes. From Montserrat Aeri, there is a cable car that takes people up the mountainside to Montserrat’s famous monastery. The “Black Virgin” (La Morenta), an image of the Virgin Mary reportedly hidden by Saint Peter on the slopes of Montserrat was apparently lost in in the early 8th century that reappeared in 880. Following this, a chapel was built to house the important icon and later, a Benedictine monastery replaced this chapel. The monastery is built at an altitude of 1000 metres and has been a major pilgrimage centre throughout history. After a troubled time in the 19th century when the monastery was ransacked by Napoleon’s army, the monastery today attracts thousands and thousands of visitors and pilgrims. The mountain itself is dotted with hermitages and caves and is a wonderful natural area, thriving with flora and fauna. In 2003, the Montserat railway, from Monistrol to the monastery was reopened after 46 years of closure.
Monistrol is a town of 2500 people, situated 18km from Manresa and 30km from Barcelona.

On the other side of Montserrat is Sant Salvador De Guardiola, on the C-37 minor road from Manresa to Igualada. There is a pre-Romanesque temple in the town of 1700 people, 8km south of Manresa. West of Sant Salvador in the countryside is Castellfollit Del Boix, a village of 350 people.

West of Manresa on the on the C-25 Manresa-Lleida road, is Rajadell, a village of 400 people set at an altitude of 405 metres. North of Rajadell, the village of Fonollosa with 815 people has a Romanesque church and an ancient castle.

Northwest of Manresa, the countryside of Bages is traversed by one small main road, the C-55. Callús is located on the C-55, 8km from Manresa. A pretty village set in a fertile valley and backed by the steep slopes of the surrounding sierra, Callus has a population of 1350. 6km north of Callús, the small town of Súria with a population of 6200 is also situated on this road. There is a castle and a Romanesque church in Súria which is a town involved in the mining of salt. Sant Mateu De Bages with a population of 500 is an isolated village 4km west of Súria, located away from the main road.

Cardona
In the north west of Bages, this town of 6000 people is situated in a fairly isolated position. The town used to be heavily involved in the mining of rock salt. Today, these salt mines serve as a tourist attraction, they were reopened in 1997 and attract a number of visitors. The majestic church of Sant Vincenç is located here, a classic example of Romanesque architecture and there is also an imposing fortified castle with a Romanesque tower.
Cardona is 32km from Manresa, the nearest large service centre to the town.

In the northern area of Bages, Santpedor is an ancient town with a population of 5000. The town contains a late gothic church with a Romanesque door. The town used to be walled and the gateways of the old city walls can still be seen. Santpedor is 7km north of Manresa, off the main roads. North of Santpdedor in the Bages plane is the village of Castellnou De Bages with a population of 380. The attractive church of Sant Adreu de Castellnou is situated in the village. There is a good restaurant next to the church.
On the C-76 road that leads from Manresa up to the Pyrenees, the town of Sallent with a population of 7400 is home to a ruined castle and an interesting Romanesque church. North again on the same road is Balsareny (3300 inhabitants) with a 14th century gothic church and palace. Balsareny is 18km from Manresa. The town of Navas, 5km north of Balsareny, contains the Romanesque church of Sant Cugat del Racó. At the edge of the Bages region, bordering with Bergueda, the little village of Gaia has a population of 160.

In the northeast of Bages, Calders is situated 14km from Manresa on the small N-141 road with a population of 650. Artes is a town of 4000 people just west of Calders. Northeast of Calders on the same road, Moia (3800 people) is well established as a summer resort, its old mansions built for the rich of Barcelona in the 19th century. There is a baroque church in the town. Moia is also the site of the Club de Golf Montbru-Moia, an 18-hole golf course. A weekly street market is held in Moia on Sundays.
Avinyo (200 inhabitants), Santa Maria d’Olo (1000 inhabitants), Sant Feliu Sasserra (2000 inhabitants) and L’ Estany (380 inhabitants) are all villages dotted in the northwest of Bages in wine-making countryside. These attractive, quiet villages are surrounded by vineyards and fertile countryside. At L’Estany, there is a magnificent Benedictine monastery with a Romanesque church and cloister.

East of Manresa is the town of Navarcles with 5200 people. It is a rural town, surrounded by green forests and backed by the dramatic sight of the jagged peaks and sheer cliffs of the mountains behind. Navarcles is 10km from Manresa. On the eastern edge of Bages, the tiny village of Talamanca with a population of less than 100 is a quiet, peaceful village. Surrounded by the mountains of Sant Llorenç de Munt, Serra de l'Obac and Coll d'Estenalles, all of which are part of natural parks, Talamanca is quite isolated. There is a 9th century castle-palace and a Romanesque church in the village. Talamanca is 18km from Manresa.