Things to do ... Platja d'Aro and nearness
Historical route
Church of Santa Maria and Castle of Benedormiens
The Benedormiens Castle, origin of the town of Castell d'Aro, appears documented for the first time in 1041, when the religious authorities, nobles and knights of the area gave the Monastery of Sant Feliu de Guíxols the custody of the castle with the obligation of protecting all the Aro Valley from the attacks of Moslems. The village grew up around the castle, whereas the most distant farmhouses fortified themselves and some even built defence towers.
Now Benedormiens Castle is an important centre for art exhibitions and events related to the traditional culture of the town. The castle has 5 rooms named after historical personalities related to the history of the castle. Some of the most famous people to have shown there are, among many others Jaume Malaret, Modest Cuixart, Navarro Vives, Lluís Llongueras or Salvador Dalí.
Benedormiens Castle can be visited on days when the art exhibitions are open or by taking the guided tour of the old centre of Castell d'Aro, which also includes a visit to the Doll Museum of Castell d'Aro..
Saint Mary's Church in Castell d'Aro was consecrated by Berenguer Guifred, Bishop of Girona, in 1078 and included in the parish of Santa Cristina d'Aro. It did not appear as an independent parish until 1691 and still formed part of a single district with that of Saint Mary in Fanals. Today's church no longer has any traces of the chapel first consecrated in 1078. The current building is late gothic style with a baroque facade. It has a nave with side chapels and a polygonal headpiece with five sides. In Saint Mary's Square the rectory has a shield in relief on the lintel; a renaissance window with a shell in relief on the lintel and moulding that terminates with two heads that form the corbels. It is dated 1569.
Church of Santa Maria de Fanals d'AmuntSaint Mary's Church of Fanals d'Amunt is located on the northern edge of the town, at kilometre 16 of the road from Romanyà to Calonge. It is the oldest church in the town, erected before 968 as it is mentioned in a document of that date. It is probably that the older construction was erected on the remains of even more ancient temples or buildings. The temple of Fanals d'Amunt has a single nave, with a semicircular apse and cylindrical romantic arch with the outer walls decorated by six Lombard style ornamental bands joined by small half-point arches. A gothic headstone was preserved inside the temple and today it is on display on the porch the Platja d'Aro church.
Church of Fanals d'Aro a Platja d'AroA parish church dedicated to Saint Mary, with characteristics inherent to the 17th century. It has a very simple rectangular entrance, a small vaulted niche below a rose window. The wide belfry is square with three small windows with large defensive embattlements.
Church of Santa Maria de Platja d'Aro
The construction of the Church of Santa Maria de Platja d'Aro it is contemporary. It appeared from Platja D'aro, which did not have purely Catholic religious services, to give service to the population growth. Church of the architect Josep Esteve i Corredor, constructed in 1955.
Church of Nostra Senyora de l’Esperança in s’AgaróThe architect Rafael Masó i Valentí, with great artistic feeling, enthusiastically accepted the ambitious project of the Encesa to construct a residential city and make S'Agaró a small Catalan village integrated into the environment.. 'Agaró did not undertake again the constructive activity until 1941, with the intervention of the architect Francesc Folguera, responsible of Nostra Senyora de l'Esperança, of neobaroque style.
Click on the map on the red indications to see pictures of the monuments. (route in red)
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