The Vall de Boi is a narrow valley in the Pyrenees and is best known for its nine Romanesque churches. The high density of pure Romanesque architecture far away from big cities and major trading routes, their location in a rural setting and the picturesque mountain scenery are the characteristics of this WHS.

The rulers of the valley, the Lords of Erill, became rich by trading with silver and they have spent part of their wealth for the construction of churches and their decoration with wonderful murals. However, the murals were removed at the beginning of the 20th century to prevent theft and destruction, they are now kept in museums, the most important murals are in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia in Barcelona (MNAC). The churches in Taüll and Boi show some faithful replicas. The murals depict saints and apostles, scenes from the Bible, and also mythical creatures and animals: a camel or an elephant with tusks on the head.

We started our visit at the Centre del Romànic in Erill la Vall. The interpretation centre provides information about the history of the churches and the murals. You can also buy a combined ticket for the three churches in Boi, Taüll and Eril la Vall. A fourth church, Santa Maria in Taüll, can be visited free of charge, the others are not regularly open to individual visitors.

The largest church in the valley is Sant Climent de Taüll, it also has the most striking architecture with three naves and apses, nice decorative elements at the outside, and a leaning bell tower. Every 30 minutes, a projection by video mapping recreates the frescoes in the central apse - an intriguing impression how the original interior might have looked like. Santa Maria de Taüll is located in the centre of the village, only a few hundred metres from Sant Clement. Why two churches were built at the same time in such a small village is not known (they were consecrated on consecutive days in 1123).

Each of the nine churches has its unique charm and is well worth a visit: Sant Joan de Boí with beautiful colourful wall paintings, Santa Eulàlia d’Erill la Vall shows a copy of the wooden sculpture "Descent from the Cross", or the location of the small hermitage Sant Quirc de Durro on a rock spur high in the mountains.

Most of the villages are located along the main roads L-500 and L-501 and are easy accessible by car. But, as Clyde describes in his review, the route to some churches requires driving on narrow, winding streets, in particular to Durro and Coll. Thus, we were very happy with our small rental car.

During our visit to Barcelona a few days before, we visited the MNAC, the huge collection of Romanesque art is outstanding. The murals from Taüll and Boi and many other churches in the Pyrenees are shown. And the collection comprises also wonderful wooden sculptures and altar frontals. A great addition to our visit of the Vall de Boi.