Gessa lies at the foot of Mount Corilha, beside the Corilha stream. The village combines a hike up to the Sant Martà de Corilha hermitage with remarkable details on its churches, chapels and houses. For planning purposes, these can be divided into two main areas of interest: the uphill hike and the village’s architecture. Designated hiking and cycling routes also include Gessa and its buildings.
Hiking to the Sant MartĂ de Corilha hermitage
The Sant MartĂ de Corilha chapel lies at an altitude of 1,800 m. A hike from Gessa reaches the hermitage, built into the mountainside rock, in a little over an hour; the elevation for this route is given as approximately 1,800 m. This makes it a specific destination for anyone looking to include a hike in their stay. Its position in the mountainside sets the hermitage apart from the religious buildings in the village.
Another route from Gessa passes by the Montromies hut. The destinations give the two excursion options different characteristics: one leads to the high-altitude hermitage, while the other passes by the hut. So if you include hiking in your travel plans, you can choose based on the named destination without treating the routes as the same.
Chapels, churches and historic houses
At the village entrance, at the junction with the path to Unha, stands a chapel dedicated to the Mare de Déu de Montserrat. At Çò de Ròsa, the cylindrical stone tower with its carved coats of arms stands out. The lintel bears the year 1589 as the construction date. Çò de Chelina also preserves a coat of arms with a year: 1575. The two dates have different meanings: 1589 is marked on the lintel as the construction date, while Çò de Chelina preserves the shield bearing the year 1575.
At Sant Pèir de Gessa, several architectural periods come together. The freestanding square bell tower dates from the 17th century. The church also has a Baroque altar that preserves a Romanesque altar base, as well as the Romanesque foundations of a 12th-century chapel. The altar base and foundations are two distinct details: one survives within the Baroque altar, while the other points to the older chapel. At Sant Pèir, you can therefore appreciate both the tower’s design and the connection between different building periods.
Gessa on hiking and cycling routes
The Salardú–Unha–Gessa route follows the GR-211 and passes through Gessa as far as the upper part of the village. In Gessa, it leads to the church of Sant Pèir and the manor house Çò de Ròsa. This means two of the buildings mentioned above are also on a described route through the village. If you are interested in longer hiking routes, Gessa also appears in the listed itinerary of the Camin Reiau: this circular hiking route is 150 km long and passes through 33 villages in the Val d’Aran.
Route 16 Ruta BTT offers a different perspective, making it possible to visit Gessa and its churches and fortified houses. These are not all the same type of route: the Salardú–Unha–Gessa route is described as a hiking route along the GR-211, the Camin Reiau as a regional circular hiking route, and the Ruta BTT as a cycling route.
Annual events
Gessa’s annual pilgrimage to the Sant Martà de Corilha chapel takes place on the second Saturday in June. The patron saint’s festival of Sant Pere is celebrated on 29 June. If you plan your trip around either of these dates, take both into account when planning.
Discover more destinations: BellvĂs, La Tallada, Plandogau, Tremp, Torrefarrera, Bellpuig, Tornafort, Sant Cristòfol.
For the wider travel overview: Lleida.
