Gaüses: Village Culture in the Riera de Ramema Valley

Geographical Setting

Gaüses is located in the valley of the Riera de Ramema. The river is also known as the Riera de Gaüses and is a tributary of the Ter.

Culture and History

The Sant Roc sanctuary is a small example of vernacular architecture from the 18th century, situated on a small hill. The Sant Roc chapel has a single-nave body with a barrel vault and a semicircular apse.

The Almoina is the surviving remnant of a medieval building that once belonged to the Pia Almoina of Girona. On the right bank of the Riera, the remains of an old mill have been preserved next to the Almoina. Both landmarks are directly connected to the waterway and combine medieval history with traces of earlier use.

The houses also reveal different architectural forms. Can Torres has a large portal with a semicircular voussoir arch. Can Torres also has a Renaissance window with a drip moulding and profiled jambs. The portal and the window belong to different architectural design elements of the same house.

Santa Maria de Gaüses has a single-nave body, side chapels, a polygonal apse and lunettes vaults. Can Mundet has a façade with a large portal with voussoirs and a Gothic tracery window. In Gaüses, religious buildings with different floor plans stand alongside houses with portals, windows and voussoirs.

The architectural elements are distributed among different buildings: Sant Roc combines a single-nave body, a barrel vault and a semicircular apse. Santa Maria de Gaüses adds side chapels, a polygonal apse and lunettes vaults to its single-nave body. Can Torres displays a portal and a Renaissance window, while Can Mundet combines a portal and a Gothic tracery window on one façade.

Village Areas

Gaüses’s Barri de Baix extends on both sides of a single street. Its stone façades include some with large portals with voussoirs. The street layout and the materials used describe the village area just as much as the individual architectural elements of the houses.

The Barri de l’Església is also known as Gaüses de Dalt. The Barri de l’Església is reached through a covered passageway belonging to Mas Solà.

Architecture in the Village Landscape

Different periods of construction and building types meet in the village landscape. The 18th century is represented by Sant Roc, while the Almoina, as a surviving remnant, points to a medieval building. Renaissance and Gothic details can be found at Can Torres and Can Mundet. Together with Santa Maria de Gaüses and the remains of the old mill, they create a landscape in which religious, civic and earlier economic uses remain recognisable side by side through specific architectural elements.

Festivals

The Festa Major of Gaüses includes a Mass, a Sardana performance and dancing. The celebration thus combines a religious programme item with a traditional dance and a festive event.

Every year, an Aplec takes place in Gaüses on the occasion of the festival of Sant Roc.

To the main travel overview: Vilopriu.