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 Sant Llorenç del Munt!
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 Sant Llorenç del Munt
The Castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt, also known as the Castle of the Cerdans, is located in the Natural Park of the Guilleries – Savassona, within the municipality of Sant Julià de Vilatorta.
The first documentary evidence of the castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt dates back to 884. During the 11th century, a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Lawrence was founded. With the creation of the monastery, a part of the castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt became monastic quarters.
The Castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt was rebuilt during the 20th century.
Castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt of Sant Julià de Vilatorta (Photo: COOLTUR Cultural Tourism)
Legend of the Castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt
A legend related to the castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt has been preserved. According to the legend, in medieval times, some friars lived in the castle. They were of the same order as the friars who lived in Casserres. The community of Saint Laurence lived poorly on what little they could grow, but its members were very intelligent.
Apparently, this community fell out with the Catalan king because he did not listen to their requests. The tension between the Catalan king and the community of friars was very great, and one day the friars decided to kidnap the king.
When the king was released from his kidnapping, he issued an order to close the monastery and the castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt. He also wanted to take prisoner all the living friars. The mayor of Folgueroles received the written order, but since he could not read, he asked the friars to read it aloud. Evidently, the friars made up a story and, deceiving the mayor, made him return to Folgueroles. That night, the friars fled from the castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt.
As the king had no news from the mayor of Folgueroles, he contacted the mayor and discovered that all the friars had fled. From that moment on, everyone who wanted to hold the position of mayor had to prove that they could read and write.
(Cover image: Castle of Sant Llorenç del Munt 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!