Falles en la Alta Ribagorça

There was a full moon that night. And we watched the pageant. Women, men, children, parading through the little town of Taüll. And they waited for the flaming torches to illuminate the small  Plaça de Santa María. 

An eerie light on the mountain. The smell of smoke and burnt wood began to fill the air, and we were huddled around this ancient square, all witnessing the baixada. 

In the background the band played a march-like tune, constantly repeating, pulsating, as we cheered and viewed with amazement the approaching spectacle. A group led by the fadri ran furiously toward the narrow streets. The embers floated throughout the square, pieces of flaming wood danced through the air in an unreal ballet of light. Someone  screamed in English "Avoid the embers", and whirling fire carriers ran around the small square.

Group on the Mountain

A baixada is a traditional Catalan, Summer-time celebration. These folks run down the mountain with falles de pal, enormous torches made of pine and ash. Tall, short, fat, old, men and women carry the torches and illuminate the night! They start at the top, and with their torches lighted the group files slowly down the steep slope toward the tiny town of Taüll, famous for its twelfth-century churches. Awesome sight!

There we where, all cheering and yelling encouragement. The whirling smoke is dizzying. The flames flickered as the torches rushed through the plaça. 

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more.

Taüll

Santa María

Sant Climent

Taüll is one of those magical places. The town sits in the Vall de Boi at an altitude of about 1,500 ms and is part of the Alta Ribagorzça, an area in the Pirineo leridano of Catalunya. With a population of almost 270, this minuscule town is the home of two iconic Romanesque churches: Sant Climent and Santa María, dedicated on the 10 and 12 of December 1123, respectively.

Pancrátor, Sant Climent, apse

The structures belong to a network of  churches that populate this valley and adjacent areas,  commissioned by Bishop Ramón de Roda during the early 12th century. The original murals, considered some of the finest examples of Romanesque art, are housed in the MNAC, Barcelona. The extant churches currently contain reproductions.

The KU group toured these churches during the excursion to the Pyrenees.