Sanctuary de Montgarri
Sanctuary de Montgarri
Today, the houses of the last inhabitants of the area, called bordas, still remain in an advanced state of ruin. They were forced to leave the village during the sixties due to the harsh living conditions, with heavy snowfall during winter, as it is located at an altitude of 1645 meters.
Montgarri is considered the coldest town in Spain with an average annual temperature of only 5 degrees, given by a freezing winter with averages well below zero and an almost cold summer. This climate is due to its altitude of almost 1700m above sea level, its latitude, one of the highest in Catalonia, facing north of the Pyrenees, thus reducing its annual hours of sunshine and high rainfall spread over many days of precipitation. .
Its average annual temperature ranges from 5 to 5.5 degrees, with an approximate average of about 5.4 degrees, producing an average of 180 frosts per year. Its climate is high mountain. Montgarri is immersed in a valley of thermal inversions, closed by mountains a thousand meters higher, which prevent the cold from escaping and the Sun from reaching the place, therefore, they rarely average high maximums, and many winters drop below -15 degrees. , being much of the annual precipitation in the form of snow. In January the average temperature is -4 degrees (minimum -8 degrees and maximum 0 degrees), July being the warmest month with an average of 14 degrees (minimum 8 and maximum 20). Annual precipitation is 1,200 liters per square meter, of which 65-70% is in the form of snow, and the rest is liquid precipitation.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montgarri and refuge. In the background the Pic d’Eth Dossau, already in France, 2520 meters above sea level
The Sanctuary of Montgarri, with a height of 1640 meters above sea level, is in a state of good conservation, it was built in 1117 next to the Noguera Pallaresa river. It consists of several bodies that form a square plan, and its tall bell tower stands out, with an octagonal tower with windows in the upper body. It is a construction that had a hostel, church, rectory and administration, and a corral with haystacks. The slate roofs have a strong inclination appropriate to the climatic conditions
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