If you don’t know what to do in Sant Julià de Vilatorta, from COOLTUR Cultural Tourism we recommend you to visit the Castle of Bellpuig!
Sant Julià de Vilatorta is a municipality located between the Plana de Vic and the Natural Park of Guilleries – Savassona, in the region of Osona.
The town of Sant Julià de Vilatorta has a large municipal area. In fact, the neighbourhood of Vilalleons is part of this municipality. Within the municipality you can discover natural sites of great beauty. But, in addition, you can also find a large number of heritage elements of great value.
Castle of Bellpuig
The Castle of Bellpuig, also known as the Castle of the Moors, is located next to the Set Fonts Park, in Sant Julià de Vilatorta.
The Castle of Bellpuig is a strong house of the XII and XIII centuries. Currently, the remains of the old castle are preserved, formed by two walls of the twelfth century. From the remains, we can observe the presence of different holes, which would serve to put the scaffolding. We can also observe the start of a barrel vault. The plant of this castle would be adapted to the orography of the area where it is located.
Legend of the Castle of Bellpuig
A legend of the Castle of Bellpuig is still preserved. According to the legend, during the High Middle Ages, this castle was occupied by the Arab army. In addition, in this castle there was a mine that went from the Pla de la Quintana to the castle. This mine allowed the occupants of the castle of Bellpuig to be able to survive anywhere, since from this mine they could go to look for food and water.
Apparently, the Arab warlord who occupied the castle was in love with an Arab princess named Fatima. Unfortunately for the warlord, this princess did not pay any attention to him, as she had fallen in love with the Christian heir of Can Badosa. When the Arab warlord learned of this, angered by the princess’s rejection, he decided to imprison her in the castle of Bellpuig.
When the heir of Can Badosa found out that they had closed his lover in prison, he decided to build another mine that would go from his house to the castle of Bellpuig. Many days passed until he managed to free his lover from the castle prison.
When the Arab warlord heard the news that the princess had been released, he ordered to pursue and capture the two lovers. Fortunately for the lovers, they were already far away from San Julián and the Arab leader’s men.
(Cover image: Castle of Bellpuig of Sant Julià de Vilatorta Photo: COOLTUR Cultural Tourism)
How to get to Sant Julià de Vilatorta
Sant Julià de Vilatorta is a municipality located between the Plana de Vic and the Natural Park of Guilleries – Savassona, in the region of Osona. To reach this municipality you can use the C-25 and BV-5201 roads.
You can also reach this municipality by public transport. In this case, we recommend that you check the bus timetables before setting off on your journey!