Today we take you to the Priorat region (Priorat, in Spanish) to let you know two of our favorite places in Catalonia, the village of Siurana de Prades that stands on a rock overlooking the Siurana Reservoir and the Cartoixa de Scala Dei, one of the most important religious monuments of the Iberian Peninsula.
The wine region of Priorat (Priorat), located in the province of Tarragona, is one of the most picturesque areas to visit in Catalonia. A mid-mountain landscape dominated by the peaks of the Sierra Montsant, large vineyards and some charming villages in the province of Tarragona are the tourist attraction of this region.
Beyond visiting wineries and wine tasting, for us the most essential things to do in Priorat are Siurana de Prades, one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, and the Cartoixa d’Escaladei or Scala Dei, the ruins of the first Carthusian monastery in the peninsula. Here we tell you all about these two essential places to visit in Priorat.
Siurana de Prades
Seeing for the first time Siurana de Prades arriving by the winding road up from Cornudella de Montsant leaves no one indifferent. This postcard village that is often referred to simply as Siurana (there is another much less known village in the province of Girona with the same name) has only a few dozen inhabitants, but on summer weekends is filled with tourists who want to know this unique place and enjoy its views.
It is a village that seems to have come out of a fairy tale where walking through the medieval streets is like moving to another distant era in time. In addition, the location of this tiny village situated on a limestone crag is simply unbeatable. Many climbers enjoy the unique characteristics of the terrain, as the cliffs surrounding the village have a mind-boggling number of more than 1,600 routes open to climbers. The less adventurous can enjoy the Camino Antiguo de Siurana, a beautiful trail that climbs up to the Siurana enclave from the village of Cornudella de Montsant. Arriving at the top and having in front of you the views of the village with the Siurana Reservoir below in the depths is to be thrilled.
Today Siurana is one of the most charming villages in the province of Tarragona, but this place also has a very interesting past. The Moorish castle built in the ninth century and now in ruins, is an important vestige of the wars of the reconquest, as it was the last stronghold of the Muslims in Catalonia and was not conquered by Christian forces until 1154.
The center of the village is the Plaça Vella (Old Square) and around this square are the cobbled streets of Siurana de Prades with beautiful medieval houses decorated with geraniums. Next to the castle, the main monument of the village is the church of Santa Maria, built in Romanesque style between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, a few years after the Christian reconquest. The church (closed to the public) is situated on top of a rock and rises majestically above this small village.
Although it is very pleasant to walk through the interior of the village, what stands out most in Siurana de Prades are the views. There are several viewpoints that you will have to visit to appreciate the harmony of nature and this unique place. The most spectacular view is the one that offers full views of the village, the mountain range and the Siurana Reservoir at the same time.
In addition to the viewpoints of Siurana, it is worth approaching another beautiful viewpoint known as the Salto de la Reina Mora. You will only have to take the path of the Trona that leaves from the ruined castle. There is a legend about this place that adds to its beauty. According to this legend, the daughter of the vali did not want to fall into Christian hands and when all was lost she decided to throw herself into the abyss from this cliff. However, her white horse tried to stop her fall, but failed and the legends say that the horseshoe mark of the horse can still be seen next to the cliff. We do not know if the legend is true, but the views with the Siurana Reservoir in the depths are incredible.
If you want to see Siurana from another point of view, a nice excursion is to go down to the Siurana Reservoir and go around it on foot or by bicycle. In the warmer months you can also rent a kayak to enjoy the Siurana Reservoir from the water.
How to get to Siurana de Prades
There is no public transport to Siurana de Prades, but you can take the Plana bus company to Cornudella de Montsant. From here the best option is to go up to Siurana by the beautiful Old Road, but if you do not see yourself doing this climb, you can try to hire a cab. In your own vehicle you can get to the vicinity of the village (you can not enter), but if you do not arrive early on weekends, especially in summer be prepared to find many cars and have to leave your vehicle quite far from the village.
Scala Dei
Another of the must-see places in Priorat is La Cartoixa(Carthusian Monastery) of Escaladei, also known as Scala Dei. Visiting this unusual place will make you learn a lot about the time that followed the reconquest of Catalonia. In Scala Dei almost a thousand years ago (in the 12th century) monks coming from the French Provence founded the first Carthusian monastery in the Iberian Peninsula. The monks received the land from Alfonso II of Aragon and the monastery they were going to build has played a very important role in the origins of the region we now call Priorat.
The monks always had good taste in choosing the location of their buildings, this time they also chose a unique site at the foot of the Sierra de Monstant. And why is it called Scala Dei, which with little Latin knowledge or intuition you can imagine means “stairway to God“. Well, the answer is quite simple, it is said that in the place where it was decided to raise the monastery, a shepherd had dreamed of angels ascending to heaven by stairs leaning against the trunk of a pine tree.
For about seven centuries, the Carthusian monks lived in La Cartoixa de Escaladei cultivating the fields and vineyards and living by very strict rules. Scala Dei went into decline in the 19th century and in 1835 a decree forced the monks to leave everything and flee the land. Unfortunately the coming years were characterized by the destruction and plundering of the monastery and the result is that this Carthusian monastery was left largely devastated.
During the visit to the Carthusian monastery of Escaladei / Cartoixa de Scala Dei what first impresses without a doubt is the entrance to the enclosure. From the porter’s lodge it has managed to preserve its 2 arches still standing, which will lead you to the beautiful Ave Maria courtyard surrounded by cypress trees.
At the end of the courtyard is the most impressive construction of the visit of Scala Dei, the facade of Santa Maria, simply spectacular. We stood for quite a while under this impressive altarpiece and imagined what the rest of the place might have looked like before its destruction.
The rest of the visit requires a good amount of imagination, although they have restored different parts of the enclosure as the Minor Cloister. Highlights include a fountain with the coat of arms of the Cartoixa of Escaladei, the Refectory, the Chapter House and the Church, all in a rather dilapidated state.
What we found most interesting during the visit was that we learned a lot about the life of the monks of the Order of Carthusian mon ks who lived in Scala Dei. For example the diet they had was very strict and based almost only on bread, wine and cheese, while they did not eat meat. We were also able to visit their restored rooms where they lived their life for most of the time in total silence in order to fully dedicate themselves to their faith.
How to get to Scala Dei
The best way to get to the Carthusian monastery of Escaladei is by car. If you do not have a car, you can still visit it quite easily, as you can travel by coach to Morera de Montsant and from there you will only have to walk 4 km to reach the monument.
Entrance to Scala Dei
The entrance to the Cartoixa dEscaladei costs 3,50 and the visit requires a couple of hours of your time.
Visit Scala Dei with Siurana de Prades
The two jewels are just over 20 km apart and even on the winding roads of Montsant, it takes 45 minutes to get from one place to the other, so it is very easy to visit both destinations in the same day.
I leave you with a series of routes or weekend excursions to discover the pearls of Catalonia that will not disappoint you.
Where to stay near Siurana and Scala Dei
The Priorat area offers rural accommodations and charming hotels. The offer is not as wide, but you can easily find accommodation that fits your budget.
Here we end our article about Siurana de Prades and Scala Dei, two fascinating places that will be the main points during your trip to Priorat, along with the vineyards and wineries of course.
