Sunrise – Sant Pere de Rodes
In an old guidebook, we once read years ago that before dawn – in Spanish Madrugada – one should set off for a spectacular sunrise over the Cap de Creus from Sant Pere de Rodes Monastery Or – better yet – dem Castell de Sant Salvador to experience from.
Unfortunately we haven’t done that yet. But even at later times of the day and with good visibility, the panorama is limitless.
Sant Pere de Rodas Monastery
We drove in one day with light tramuntana towards Vilajuïga. There, a small signposted road turns through the village in the direction of the mountains. Immediately behind the village, the landscape changes and gets a mountain character: rocky green meadows, gnarled stone and cork oak groves, a herd of sheep in between, birdsong. The narrow road winds up the mountains. We enjoy the loneliness. We stop at the first parking lot further up. Here is an old stone ruin. The smell of grilled sausages tickles our noses. There is a lot of activity at the large public barbecue and picnic area of the Masia ruins.
We walk to the viewpoint. Far lies the level of old empordà at our feet.
The sea glitters in the distance. The view is limitless. The Tramuntana gains strength. A picnic on the most beautiful barbecue area far and wide is only possible on a day like today in the slipstream.
Santa Creu de Rodes
We continue up to the church Santa Creu de Rodes. Here we leave our car and walk the last stretch to the monastery on foot.
The former Benedictine monastery lies enormously in front of us. 902 first mentioned in a document, took place in the first decades of the 10th century A mental and material upswing. Numerous legends still surround the monument on the edge of the Pyrenees on the Verdera Mountains.
There is talk of buried treasures – an iron chain with which the apostle Peter allegedly tied up – a rain cape of St. Thomas Becket, which is to increase fertility – a holy cross after which the Cap de Creus was named… It is said that some monks. Another legend reports that the temple of the “Aphrodite of the Pyrenees” stood and the mortal remains of the Apostle Peter buried lie…
During his heyday in the 11th century Sant Pere de Rodes A spiritual center with its famous writing school. At that time, valuable manuscripts of book painting were created. An example of this is the »Bible of Rodes«, which is now in the Bibliothèque National in Paris is kept. The former Benedictine monastery is one of the most important Romanesque buildings on the Costa Brava. It perched 500 meters above sea level and offers spectacular views. It owes its dominant position to the pirates, who made the coasts unsafe at the time of the founding of the monastery.
Church of Sant Pere de Rodes
The size of the monastery’s three-aisled church, which was completed in 1022, is the size: 37 meters long and over 15 meters high are enormous for a building of this time. The defensive character of the complex is characterized by a windowless square tower – counterpart of the bell tower.
cloister
Over the centuries, the complex with church, lower and upper cloisters, library and refectory has been constantly expanded. In 1798 the convention was abandoned and the buildings were looted.
In 1930 the monastery was declared National Monument, and the Catalan government took the first conservation measures in 1935. In the 1960s, a few uncoordinated reconstructions began. The restoration work has been carried out since 1992. The renovation and reconstruction is not necessarily convincing in the details. The entire complex impresses with architectural monumentality in spectacular landscape. In the summer, piano concertos take place in the monastery. A restaurant invites hungry hikers to a lunch menu.
Castell de Salvador
The higher is only within walking distance Castell de Salvador, from which you can enjoy a magnificent view of the monastery and the sea. Luckily we are equipped with good footwear and scramble up the rocky mountain path behind the monastery. Daring, careless tourists come towards us with flip flops on our feet. We defy the ever-increasing Tramuntana and will be rewarded with unbelievable views when we arrive at the top. The climb was really worth it. We can’t stay here for long today. The storm threatens to blow us out of the castle ruins. We’re going to get up one day before dawn to greet the rising sun from up here. The pink light of a beginning summer day against this backdrop promises pure romance: every day the first ray of sunshine of Catalonia falls on the San Salvador de Verderb Castle.
More: On the Wild River – The Fluvià at Sant Pere Pescador, The Cathedral of Sant Pere in Vic, Excursion to Sant Pere de Rodes.
