Rocallaura: Culture, Hiking Trails and Thermal Tradition

Village Character and Landscape

Rocallaura is a village situated on a hill at the upper end of the Maldanell Valley. Its narrow, winding streets are grouped around the parish church. From this hill, Rocallaura overlooks parts of the Serra del Tallat, gorges and the Maldanell Valley. Parts of the castle wall now form the foundations of some houses. As a result, the village character brings together the medieval layout of the village, its ecclesiastical centre and visible traces of its former fortifications. The view extends across several landscape elements, making the location between hill, valley and Serra del Tallat readily perceptible.

Culture and History

The Refugi Antiaeri is an air-raid shelter and a machine-gun nest from the Spanish Civil War. Tallat is first mentioned in documentary records in 1058. The church of the Santuari del Tallat was built in 1354 by the inhabitants of Rocallaura in honour of the Virgin. The polychrome wooden statue of the Virgin of Tallat dates from the 14th century and is now kept in Rocallaura. Every year, the statue is carried in a procession to the Santuari del Tallat. From the period after Easter until mid-June, people from the surrounding villages gather in Rocallaura on consecutive weekends in procession to celebrate the pilgrimage to Tallat and venerate the Virgin. Thus, Tallat is present in Rocallaura not only through its early documentary mention, but also through the church, the statue and a procession that continues to take place regularly to this day. The period from after Easter until mid-June also describes a clearly defined phase in which the pilgrimage is linked to several weekends.

Under the main altar of the Sant Llorenç church is a crypt used for storage. It contains sculptural remains in the Catalan Flamboyant Gothic style that originate from the Santuari del Tallat. The crypt therefore preserves part of the furnishings of the Santuari del Tallat at another location within Rocallaura. Its position beneath the main altar connects the present-day storage space with Sant Llorenç church and the Gothic remains preserved there.

Hiking Trails and Destinations

The PR-C58 Serra del Tallat circular hiking trail leads to Tossal Gros, the highest peak in the comarca at 804 metres. The PR-C58 is signposted with directions to the Observatori d’Artilleria de la L2. The GR 175 La Ruta del Cister long-distance trail passes very close to Rocallaura. Font Vella can be reached on foot from Rocallaura via the path towards the neighbouring village of Belltall; the distance is less than half a kilometre. This means that the village offers both a circular trail with a specifically named peak and a long-distance trail in the immediate vicinity. The PR-C58 signposting also mentions the Observatori d’Artilleria de la L2, while the route to Font Vella indicates the direction of Belltall and a distance of less than half a kilometre.

Thermal Tradition

Rocallaura’s spa tradition began in 1909, when Aigua de Rocallaura was recognised as being of public utility. The Balneari de Rocallaura offers massages and thermal treatments, as well as a thermal circuit with an activity pool, sauna, whirlpool and contrast showers. The established spa tradition therefore encompasses both the historical recognition of Aigua de Rocallaura and a present-day range of different treatments. The thermal circuit comprises several interconnected stations: an activity pool, sauna, whirlpool and contrast showers.

For the overarching travel overview: Vallbona De Les Monges.