ARTIES AND PORTOLÁ

 

The Valle de Aran is the only one in the Catalan Pyrenees which opens to the North, towards France. This valley is an area of 630 square kilometers, with Atlantic climate.

It is not, therefore, very extensive, but its location, mountains, the characteristics of its rivers, and the ring of mountain ranges round it, which tower up to nearly 3,000 meters, give it some special features.

The Valle de Aran is a first-class summer and winter tourist area, with excellent tourist and hotel facilities and the possibility of practicing several different seasonal sports.

The historically difficult communications of this Valley with Spain, especially during the winter months, have brought its inhabitants very close to the neighboring lands of France.

The Aranes language is particular. It is a variant of the Catalan, with a clear influence of the Gascón of Cominges.. The people of Aran also speak Catalan, Spanish and French.

The Roman rule reached the Valley, as the abundant archaeological remains show. Nonetheless, the jewels of the Valley are its many Romanesque churches. A primitive, very particular architecture, with mural paintings and sculptures of great beauty.

 

In each of its almost 40 towns and villages, various interesting features can be found. Moreover, the Valle de Aran, which offers so many particularities in its towns, is also notable for its natural conditions, its climate, orography, lakes, huge forests, mountains and meadows, its agriculture and traditional highland stock-breeding

Arties is one of its most attractive towns. An ancient city, located half way between Viella, the Valley’s capital, and the Pass of Bonaigüa, its biggest ski resort.

There are Roman archaeological remains of urban settlements which exploited the marble quarries used to build the famous public sulfur baths.

Due to its strategic position between the rivers Garonne and Valanties, on fertile and sun-blessed lands, the Knights Templar established themselves there. By the XII^th century they already had a fortified house and castle in Arties, though today only the church of Santa Maria remains.

The Gothic church of St. John was built in the XIV^th century. Today this place and grounds are reserved to cultural activities.

In Arties can be found other buildings of great interest because of their original sculptures or architectural decoration. Its urban nucleus retains the traditional features of stone walls and slate roofs

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The Portolá house is a XVI^th century building, notable for being a splendid fortified tower. The Portolá family was long rooted in the Valle de Aran. They appear in documents as early as 1263, recognized for its solvency and prestige, being a local patrician dynasty.

Porch and altarpiece's chapel.
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The building was completed in 1678, as recorded in the doorway to the family chapel. It was built by Gaspar de Portolá y Pont, whom King Philip IV had named Knight in 1664 in recognition of his services and merits. In 1665 Charles II conceded him a coat of arms and proclaimed him a nobleman.

There is a beautiful polychrome altarpiece dedicated to St. Anthony in the chapel. On this is sculpted the family coat of arms.

Years before, the noble Gaspar de Portolá, Baron of Castellnou de Montsec, with his wife and first three children had moved to Balaguer and Ager. Four others were born there between 1658 and 1662.

Although the main branch of the Portolá family, which enjoyed the rights and privileges of the nobility had moved to Balaguer and Ager, its relationship with Arties was permanent, both because its ancestral home and property were there and because it maintained a close relationship with its extensive family, which continued to be one of the most important suppliers of the royal horse teams.

In Arties and other places in the Valle de Aran, as in the South of France, many descendants of the Portolá family continue to live.

After its excellent restoration, the Portolá family house became part of the luxury "Don Gaspar de Portolá", one of the State’s National Tourist Paradors.

In one of the rooms of this mansion there is the portrait of the great-grandson of the first Gaspar. This is Don Gaspar de Portolá y de Rovira, Governor and Commander of the expedition that took possession of California in 1770 in the name of King Charles III.

A magnificent statue was erected beside this tower in 1994. It is a reproduction of the statue located in the Californian city of Pacifica.

Click on the statue to enlarge it.

 

 

 

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