Holiday apartment in Olius: cemetery, church and cultural route

Olius brings together three different traces of regional history. The modernist cemetery, Sant Esteve d’Olius and the Iberian grain storage facility represent different approaches to architecture, church history and archaeology. Visitors to Olius can explore these themes side by side in one place. The sites do not all represent the same subject: the cemetery focuses on its layout and the design of the burial places, the church on its consecration, construction period and crypt, and the archaeological site on the use of surplus grain.

Modernist cemetery and the architecture of Solsonès

The modernist cemetery of Olius has an irregular layout adapted to the terrain. Natural stone is used to design the burial places. The irregular layout and natural stone provide two specific points of observation at the cemetery: its adaptation to the terrain and the design of the burial places.

Sant Esteve d’Olius and its history

Sant Esteve d’Olius is a significant work of 11th-century Solsonès architecture. The new church was consecrated in 1079 by the Bishop of Urgell, Bernat Guillem, at the request of Count Ermengol d’Urgell and the inhabitants of Olius. The inhabitants had built it from the foundations up. A crypt is located beneath the elevated presbytery.

The fortified Iberian grain storage facility of Sant Esteve d’Olius, excavated between 1998 and 2007, is part of the same site. The specialized economic activity at the Iberian archaeological site is interpreted as the storage and management of surplus grain for trade, mainly spelt barley and naked wheat, as shown by botanical remains. This archaeological evidence adds an economic context to the picture of Olius: surplus grain, its storage and its management for trade are connected here.

“Olius Monumental” as a guided cultural route

“Olius Monumental” is a guided cultural route through the monumental ensemble of Sant Esteve d’Olius. It includes a joint guided tour as well as admission to and a visit of the church of Sant Esteve d’Olius and the modernist cemetery of Olius. Along the route, visitors can also learn about an Iberian silo field and find out how it worked. This connects the church with the archaeological evidence of the grain storage facility.

Getting to Olius

There is no regular public transport in Olius. Travelling to Olius by private vehicle is described as the best option. Anyone wishing to visit the cemetery and Sant Esteve d’Olius should plan to travel to these sites in this way.

To visit Sant Esteve d’Olius and the cemetery of Olius, call the tourist office on 973482310 or Solsona Experience on 663 668 184.

More destinations for planning your trip

More destinations for planning your trip include Montmagastre, Vilanova de Meià, Figuerola de Meià, Portell, Camarasa, La Val d'Aran, Ansovell and Vilagrassa.

Region: Lleida.