Espinelves

Espinelves is located in the Osona region, but belongs to the Girona district. It is a small town of two hundred inhabitants located in the middle of the Montseny and Les Guilleries area, between Coll de Ravell and Coll de Buch, in a perfect location where it is surrounded by forests of holm oaks, oaks, firs and chestnut trees., among others, in addition to a wide variety of mushrooms in autumn.

The municipal area is crossed by the Espinelves stream, where sport fishing is practiced.

If we take a walk through its narrow streets we can visit the most characteristic element of the town: the Romanesque church of Sant Vicenç de Espinelves, from the 11th century, which has inside a Romanesque doorway from the same century.

But the most distinctive feature of this charming little town is the fir fair that has been held every Christmas since the early 1980s. It is a fair where a hundred artisans of different specialties present their creations live, in the middle of fir trees waiting to be decorated in the homes of Catalonia. The fir trees found have been cultivated in the Espinelves area.

On the outskirts of the town we find the Masjoan grove, the largest set of monumental trees in Catalonia, some of which exceed 40 meters in height, and we can find the tallest fir in Catalonia (43 meters). The name of the grove comes from the old Masjoan farmhouse, from the 12th century.

History

The first historical news about Espinelves is from the year 943, a time when there was a church and parish in operation, dedicated to Saint Vincent, and apparently, it was located in a town or large rural farm called Espinelves.

The name Espinelves seems to derive from Espinas albas, that is, White Thorns.

The town of Espinelves is straddling the history of the church. It is one of the few Romanesque towns that are still preserved in Catalonia, and where we can find unique pieces of art from that time and in a perfect state of conservation.

The silhouette of the bell tower of the Romanesque church gives an unmistakable appearance to the town, which, standing on the left side of the stream, appears small and cozy. The town has carefully maintained a clean and pleasant appearance, with stone-structured houses, streets paved with flagstones and the most modern buildings that harmonize with the complex. The history of Espinelves revolves around its church: San Vicente de Espinelves. Originally from the 11th-12th century, it was expanded with a second nave and apse in the 17th century. XVII.