Lliçà d'Amunt

History

Lliçà d'Amunt appears in records from 987, but the reference to the neighboring village of Lliçano Subteriore or de Vall (Lower Lliçano) in 946 suggests the existence of a Lliçà d'Amunt at that time. However, the area had been inhabited long before, as indicated by the remains of Roman villas at Ca l'Amell Gros and Santa Justa, and in the Sant Valerià area. A Roman pottery kiln has also been found at Ca l'Amell Gros, along with evidence of ancient occupation in other parts of the municipality.

A dispersed municipality

It is one of the most dispersed municipalities in Vallès Oriental, but the farmhouses scattered throughout the territory and the five churches that are preserved make up a considerable architectural heritage.

Lliçà d'Amunt is a large municipality, covering approximately 22 square kilometers, consisting of an urban center and 17 neighborhoods scattered throughout the territory, with a typology of single-family homes.

The architectural heritage

In the municipality of Lliçà d'Amunt, in addition to several farmhouses, five churches are preserved.

In the town center lies the parish church of Sant Julià de Lliçà d'Amunt, already mentioned in 1014, and surrounding it the small, compact Sagrera. In the Middle Ages, the area of thirty paces around the church became a sacred and protected place—the Sagrera—where theft and crime were forbidden and where peasants could live in peace.

At the top of the hill that closes off the town to the west is the small chapel of Sant Baldiri, dating from 1727. And further west still, the chapel of Sant Valerià, already mentioned in the year 1094. Both are located at the foot of two of the great roads that descended from Sant Feliu de Codines to Parets del Vallès along the top of the ridges.

Nestled between the Caldes and Tenes valleys, in the natural oasis of the small agricultural valley of Palaudàries, sheltered by the forest to the north and surrounded by large urban developments, lies the monumental complex of Sant Esteve de Palaudàries, a church already mentioned in 904 as Palatio Arias. It boasts a large bell tower and the only communion tower (a place from which the parish priest blessed the crops and warded off storms) in the Tenes valley.

Finally, to the northeast of the municipality, at the foot of the ancient Roman road that ran from Aquae Calidae ( Caldes de Montbui ) to Granularius ( Granollers ), stands the typically Romanesque chapel of Santa Justa and Santa Rufina, already mentioned in 1072, with a large, seemingly disproportionate bell gable. The chapel is located in the middle of a small holm oak forest and surrounded by fields, and is one of the most magical and emblematic places in the municipality.

Places of interest

Ca l'Artigues de la Serra

Ca l'Artigues de la Serra is a historic farmhouse with documented origins in the 13th century and closely linked to one of the most prominent farming families in Lliçà d'Amunt. Over the centuries, the Artigues family expanded their landholdings until they became one of the main landowners and wine producers in the area.

The current complex, built and expanded between the 16th and 19th centuries, preserves architectural elements of great interest, such as a Gothic-style window with an ogee arch. The various additions to the building allow us to discover, within a single farmhouse, centuries of evolution in Catalan rural architecture.

The Mine Washing Plant

The Lavadero de la Mina (Mine Washhouse) was built between 1945 and 1953 to address the water shortage in the Sagrera neighborhood. Its main feature was that it was supplied directly from a mine, guaranteeing a constant supply of clean water.

Long and open-air, it was designed so that washerwomen could wash clothes more comfortably, without having to work on their knees. It was in use until the 1980s and, after various improvements, the space was rehabilitated and restored in 2023.

Beyond its practical function, the washhouse recalls a time when these spaces were also meeting points and places of social life for the women of the village.

Hermitage of Sant Baldiri

The Hermitage of Sant Baldiri is a small temple with centuries of history, documented since 1325. The current building dates from 1715 and stands out for its simple and traditional architecture, with a single nave, gabled roof and robust lateral buttresses.

The hermitage was burned down during the Civil War and restored in 1946 thanks to the parishioners and devotees of the saint. It still maintains its tradition today with the Sant Baldiri pilgrimage, which takes place on Whit Monday.

Located in the Sant Baldiri neighborhood, near La Sagrera, it is a space of devotion and heritage closely linked to the local history of Lliçà d'Amunt.

Church of Saint Justa and Saint Rufina

The Church of Santa Justa and Santa Rufina is one of the oldest churches in the area, documented since the beginning of the 12th century. Of Romanesque origin, it preserves a unique structure with elements from the 11th and 12th centuries, later expanded with the bell tower and the Roser chapel.

After being burned down in 1936, it was rebuilt respecting its original configuration and reopened in 1982. It formerly housed a valuable Gothic altarpiece by Rafael Vergós, currently kept in the Diocesan Museum of Barcelona.

Located near the Tenes stream, it is a place of great historical and heritage value that keeps the tradition alive with its pilgrimage in July.

Parish Church of Sant Esteve de Palaudàries

The Church of Sant Esteve de Palaudàries is documented from 1059 and preserves vestiges of the original Romanesque structure. Over the centuries it has been enlarged and renovated, especially during the 16th and 18th centuries.

The most notable features of the complex are the bell tower, probably from the 15th century, the pentagonal apse with a ribbed vault and the communion tower, from where crops were formerly blessed and prayers were said to protect them from storms.

Surrounded by the cemetery and the farmhouse, it is one of the most unique heritage sites in Palaudàries and a testament to more than nine centuries of history.

Parish Church of Sant Julià

The parish church of Sant Julià is one of the oldest churches in Lliçà d'Amunt, documented since 1014. Of Romanesque origin, it even preserves pre-Romanesque elements, such as some windows in the apse dating from the 10th century.

Over the centuries, the church has been expanded and transformed, incorporating side aisles, a Renaissance portal, the bell tower, and new outbuildings. The 1946 renovation gave it much of its current appearance, while preserving elements from its earlier periods.

It is a building that allows you to explore, through its architecture, almost a thousand years of the municipality's history.

The Pla Tower

The Torre del Pla is a unique building in Lliçà d'Amunt, linked to an old medieval defense tower and, according to some hypotheses, to a possible Roman-era settlement related to the origin of the municipality's name.

The current building was primarily constructed from the 16th century onwards and combines elements from different periods. Notable features include the sundial, an interior stone arcade, and the modernist-inspired lookout tower, added between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Its architectural evolution makes it a good example of how an old defensive construction was transformed, over the centuries, into a stately farmhouse.