Montclar

Montclar, a town in the Berguedà region, can be said to have existed as an inhabited place since the end of the Roman world and the beginning of medieval times (around the 6th or 7th century).

In the High Middle Ages, between the 7th and 10th centuries, the first function of the Montclar hill must have been that of an oppidum, a fortified place and a natural refuge for the surrounding population and their livestock.

All indications confirm that it was a fortified village, where a church (dedicated to Saint Martin) was probably built during the Carolingian period. Until the 9th century, the traditionally dispersed settlement pattern was maintained throughout the region, with farmhouses, barns, huts, and towers, and even primitive forms of dwelling such as caves.

In Montclar, two " Strades " or Royal roads converged. One royal road ran south-north from Cardona to Berga. The other, running east-west, connected the Lluçanès and Baix Berguedà regions with Solsonès.

Places of interest

The Bassa

It is a very unique and distinctive feature of Montclar. It is a circular area enclosed by a wall about two meters high, except for the opening of the access stairs that leads to the town square. The vegetation that has grown around it makes this a cool and very pleasant space during the hottest months. In the past, the pond was filled with rainwater and water from the Font del Rector spring. When the Three Kings Fair was held in the town square instead of the Pla de les Alzines, the pond was used as a watering trough for the livestock that were sold at the fair.

The Font

Located at one end of the village square, the fountain consists of a tap and a stone trough. It is attached to the wall of the water tank where the water was stored. The fountain, built with masonry and brick quoins and covered by a dome, follows the style of other buildings in the municipality. The tank was filled with water from the Font dels Racons, near the village center (at the foot of the road leading to Espunyola ), and was used to irrigate the parish priest's orchards, right next to the church.

Church of Santa Creu de Montclar

The first mentions of the church of Santa Cruz de Montclar date back to the 10th century, in the act of consecration of the monastery of Sant Llorenç, near Bagà. It was most likely the church of the now-vanished Montclar Castle, dating from the 13th century.

The Castle

It was the stately home that flanked the entrance to the village. It was a Reconquista castle that took advantage of its elevated position to look out for and protect the population. During the 14th and 15th centuries, the castle passed through the hands of various noblemen, lords, knights, and even kings, such as James II and Alfonso the Magnanimous. Later, a house was built on the site, and after the War of the Spanish Succession, the owners at the time, the Parcerissa family, were forced to demolish its defensive structures. Currently, only underground elements remain in the Cal Sastret house, which was built on the site of the 16th-century Montclar Castle. There, royal administrative and financial power was delegated to the village.

The Portalet and the Royal Road

The Portalet was the old confluence of the two royal roads that passed through the heart of Montclar: the road from Berga to Solsona and the road from Berga to Cardona. Here, the roads from the regions of Berguedà, Solsonès, Bages, and Osona met. Today, there is a new gateway with semicircular arches dating from the 1960s; previously, there was only a passageway beneath the house.

The Cemetery

Of medieval origin, although it most likely extended around the church at that time, the Montclar cemetery consists of an enclosure with the Pedró Cross at its center (18th-19th centuries). Here, the land was blessed and prayers were offered between the May and September Holy Cross festivals, asking for the protection of the crops. A fence, reflecting the late 19th and early 20th-century custom of separating cemeteries from urban areas, can also be found, along with the iron gate bearing the peculiar phrase "Today me, tomorrow you" (1912).

The Rector's Office

The rectory stands facing the town square. It is a late 17th-century building with three floors. Its façade features a balcony that opens onto the square and another that forms a porch on the ground floor with four semicircular arched openings. There, we can find an octagonal stone well.