Vall de Núria (, "The Valley of Núria") is a south-opening valley coming down from the crest of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

within the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Queralbs,

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The floor of the valley lies about above sea level and is accessible from the south via a

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

(the Vall de Núria Rack Railway) or by foot, and from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to the north by footpaths. There are no roads to access the valley. The place is historically notable for the 1931 drafting of the first Catalan Statute of Autonomy, in the

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

of the

Virgin of Núria Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

The Virgin of Núria

According to tradition,

Saint Giles Saint Giles (, , , , ; 650 - 710), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 7th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly legendary. A ...

( Catalan: ''Sant Gil'') arrived in the valley in approximately 700 AD and lived there for four years. He crafted an image of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and hid it in a cave when forced to flee from persecution by the Arabs against

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

. Along with the image of the Virgin, he left a pot used for cooking, a cross, and a bell for calling shepherds to meals. According to tradition, a

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

named Amadéu began searching for the image in 1072, after having a prophetic dream. He built a small chapel for pilgrims, and found the image seven years later, next to the pot, the cross, and the bell, and he brought the objects to the chapel to be venerated. The image has been dated to have been made during the 12th or 13th century. It is a wooden Romanesque carving. The primitive-looking polychrome statue retains its painting intact. On July 13 1967, the statue was canonically crowned with a decree from

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. The shepherds regarded the image of the Blessed Virgin as a patron saint of fertility. The canonical

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

of Our Lady of Núria was made in 1965. Her feast day is September 8.http://pirineos.com/article/articleview/1063/4/ ''El Santuario de Nuria'' in ''Pirineos.com'' (in Spanish) The name Núria is now a popular girl's name in Catalonia.

Climate

The elevated terrain of the Vall de Núria and its relative proximity to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

result in a relatively humid high mountain climate. Winter is the season with the least precipitation and the most irregular weather, although it usually comes in the form of snow. The duration of snow covering the ground varies greatly from year to year. At the Núria sanctuary, in recent years, it has ranged from 62 to 64 days. At higher altitudes, the snow lasts considerably longer. In areas where snow accumulates, snowdrifts form, which may not fully melt until late summer. Temperatures are cold or cool throughout the year, progressively dropping with altitude. January is typically the coldest month, while July and August are the warmest.

Ski resort

The

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

in the valley is operated by the same company that operates the Vall de Núria Rack Railway. The resort has 10

alpine ski ''Alpine Ski'' (アルパイン・スキ一) is an alpine skiing arcade video game released by Taito in 1981. The player controls a skier on a vertically scrolling video game, vertically scrolling course who can move left, right, or increase for ...

piste A ''piste'' () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French

s (three green, three blue, two red and two black), and a special slope for sleighs, totalling of marked pistes. In summer 2006, 18 snow cannons were installed, making a total of 73 cannons. A quad chair lift from the resort base at , goes up to its highest point, at 2,252 m.; two

platter lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or Mountain bike, mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularit ...

s serve the beginners' area; and a

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

("''telecabina''") accesses the Pic de l'Àliga

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

Gallery

File:La vall de Núria.jpg, ''Vall de Núria'' - Southern access to mountain resort File:Coma de Noucreus.jpg, ''Vall de Núria'' - ''Coma de Noucreus'' (

Kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a device specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle''. There are two main types: the ''stovetop kettle'', which uses heat from a cooktop, hob, and the ...

of Nine Crosses) File:Nuria16.jpg, ''Vall de Núria'' -

Calvary Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...

by the southern access File:Crem nuria.jpg, Vall de Núria Rack Railway File:La_antiga_locomotora_elèctrica_E.1_del_cremallera_de_Núria_reposa_a_dalt_de_tot_de_la_Vall.jpg, Vall de Núria Rack Railway Station - Old E.1 electric locomotive (Dec. 2006) File:Estació vall de Núria.JPG, Vall de Núria Rack Railway Station from the platform File:Funicular Núria 1960.jpg, Vall de Núria Rack Railway -

Train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

at ''Coma del Clot'' (Dec. 1965) File:Cremallera de Núria RN4.jpg,

on Vall de Núria Rack Railway at ''Vall de Núria'' Station (Jul. 2010) File:Núria_from_Coll_Finestrelles.jpg, View to the south to Núria, from the Coll de Finestrelles, on the frontier with France. File:Nuria--Coll-Finestrelles.jpg, View from Núria up to the Coll de Finestrelles. Nuria13.jpg, Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Núria Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Núria 04.jpg, Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Núria Vall de Núria 01.jpg, Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Núria Alberg Pic de l'Àliga 05.jpg, Alberg Pic de l'Àliga Gorge de Núria 03.jpg, Waterfall

References

External links