Tagamanent Castle Ruin from Figaró via Vallcàrquera River

About Tagamanent castle ruin from Figaró

As part of the El Montseny Natural Park, the peak of Tagamanent, Turó del tagamanent is a location for the first prehistoric settlers, with a mediaeval church ruin Santa Maria del Tagamanent, large farmhouses and old tracks travelled for hundreds of years linking flour mills and ice wells. Tagamanent is on a plateau called El Pla de la Calma, the plain of calm, and is surrounded by mountain crop fields to make a small scattered town.

Tagamanent is high above the Congost Valley on the western slopes of Montseny one hour by car or train from Barcelona. The Tagamanent summit can be reached by hiking for about three hours from Figaró or Hiking to Tagamanent from Sant Martí de Centelles.

The route starts at Figaró Renfe train Station and crosses over the River Congost via a high bridge with views of the village of Figaró. Follow the main road north throug the village taking an ascending path called Ruta dels Arbres de Vallcàrquera along Vallcàrquera river and waterfall.

The forestal river and waterfall path emerges onto a rural road to the hamlet of Vallcàrquera where you will see several beautiful stone farmhouses and Sant Pere de Vallcàrquera church.At the end of Vallcàrquera hamlet passing Can Puig farmhouse the route deviates to the left up a steap gravel path onto a rural mountain trail.

Follow this gravel trail until almost reaching Can Bosc farmhouse. The route takes a forestall path along the Serra de les Sapines to arrive at the Bellver farmhouse restaurant. A meal here costs about 35 Euros per person and is food cooked with local produce from the surrounding farms.

After Bellver restaurant the trail leads up to Taganament castle summit. From the castle follow the GR5 path down to Sant Martí De Centelles passing via the ruined Can Amet Farmhouse.

From Santa Maria del Tagamanent church there are spectacular views of the Vallés region, The plains of Osona and the Congost Valley with cliff formations. On a clear day it is possible to see Montserrat mountain and the Pyrenees which are very visible in the winter when the Pyrenees mountains are covered in snow.

Santa Maria del Tagamanent Church History

Earliest historical records mention Santa Maria del Tagamanent in 993 AD. In 1098 Viscount Folc de Cardona gave the church to Santa Fe de Conques to found a priory at the location. When this was not achieved the church passed to Sant Pere de Casserres, who governed it until 1331.

Being a parish church it was passed to Sant Martí. From the 14th Century Santa Maria del Tagamanent is always recorded as belonging to the bishopric of Vic. It had Santa Eugènia del Congost as its suffragan until 1878.

Santa Maria del Tagamanent today has been abandoned and ruined for centuries and is currently being preserved by the Diputació de Barcelona to prevent further degradation of the site. The church has a Romanesque appearance with small flourishes of gothic architecture. It sits at the summit of Turó del Tagamanent in a small grassy meadow at the top of a naturally occurring craggy escarpment. The location made it ideal for a fortified church castle.

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