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Cova del Bisbe

Cova del Bisbe

A 56-metre-long cave in Sales de Llierca, with a single gallery and a Middle Palaeolithic site.

Sales de Llierca • Garrotxa 56m 5m

A 56-metre-long cave in Sales de Llierca, with a single gallery and a Middle Palaeolithic site.

Characteristics

Location

The cave is located in Sales de Llierca. From Montagut we head towards Sadernes along the GIV-5231 road; at Sadernes we pass by the chapel of Santa Cecília and follow the track that climbs parallel to the Sant Aniol stream, we pass the Pas del Duc and reach a vehicle parking area. A little further on we reach the Pont dels Aures, but we do not cross it; we follow the path that leaves to the right where there is a sign for the cave hanging from a tree. The path ascends passing by the font del Merlot, the path continues climbing through a wooded area and, a little further on, levels out through a pine wood in the direction of the torrent. The path continues climbing until suddenly we find a brief descent where the path turns and crosses a small gully. On the other side of the path we cross some stones following some red paint marks; further on we reach a junction, where we follow the left. After a brief descent the path levels out until reaching a new junction; we continue straight on and along a ledge we reach the cave.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Cova del Bisbe

    Elevation: 424 m

    42.281043, 2.590866
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 466266 4681062
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Cova del Bisbe - Photo, Sales de Llierca, GarrotxaView image
Click to enlarge

Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

Image 1 of 6

Description

Morphology

Formed by a single gallery slightly ascending in its first half and then continuing practically flat until the end. The first section has a fairly high ceiling, 10 or 12 metres; but a little beyond the halfway point of the route, the ceiling gradually lowers until it meets the floor. The entrance-to-end route (elevation A-B) calculated from the most recent and most accurate survey gives a total of 56 m. Until now it was credited with a route of 68 m.

History

Known since time immemorial. Puig i Larraz already mentions it in 1896 and Norbert Font i Sagué includes it in 1897 in the Catálech Espeleològich de Catalunya.

It is a Middle Palaeolithic site, excavated in 1933 and 1969.

According to a popular legend, it is said that a bishop of Perpinyà had been hidden there. Another legend refers to some Christians hidden from the Muslim invasion.

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Bibliography

  1. Borràs,J;Miñarro,JM;Talavera,F.(1980).-”el Ripollès, la Garrotxa i l'Alt Empordà” Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (vol.4):216-217. ed. Políglota. Barcelona.
  2. Valles, Jordi de(2009).-”Berguedà, Cerdanya, Garrotxa, Ripollès” Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (vol.3):215-216. EC Gràcia / FCE.
  • Topografia (2021) i fotografies, facilitades per Toni Inglès i Alfred Montserrat (ERE – CEC). Novembre 2021

Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/