Broto, stone and water at the foot of the Pyrenees
Broto is a municipality in the province of Huesca, head of the Broto Valley. Located in the Aragonese Pyrenees, is within the region of Sobrarbe and at the entrance to the Ordesa Valley, along the Ara River that divides the town in the neighborhood of the Santa Cruz and the neighborhood of the Porches. It is also a viewpoint of the spectacular Mondarruego, access to the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park of which part of the municipality is part.
The Ara River divides Broto. | Shutterstock
Mountain scenery in this small Aragonese village known for the Sorrosal waterfall, just five minutes walk from the center. Also to see in Broto is the church of San Pedro Apóstol, which dates from the 16th century and combines Aragonese Gothic architecture with Renaissance. The municipality of Broto includes the towns of Asín de Broto, Ayerbe de Broto, Basarán, Buesa, Bergua, Escartín, Oto, Otal, Yosa and Sarvisé.
Sorrosal waterfall. | Shutterstock
The Sorrosal waterfall is, perhaps, the element that most characterizes Broto. Just five minutes walk from the center of the town you reach this waterfall that falls from a rock face a height of 50 meters. In fact, the views from Broto are spectacular. It is located on the right bank of the river and next to it is a via ferrata. The level is simple, so it is perfect for beginners.
In Broto only the Romanesque bridge that crosses over the Sorrosal river, next to the waterfall, is preserved. However, it is closed to the transit of people, who use the parallel bridge installed a few meters away, through which you can reach the neighboring Oto.
Church of San Pedro in Broto. | Shutterstock
This temple consecrated to San Pedro was erected in 1578. Its architecture combines Aragonese Gothic style with Renaissance. Its dimensions are larger than most of the other churches in the valley. It also has a bell tower that culminates with battlements and loopholes located on its facade for defense.
To close the temple have been installed wrought iron railings that have ornamental motifs. On the other hand, the doorway has little figures of saints sculpted in the stone. In one of these small figures it can be read “S. IOAN”, that is to say, San Juan in Aragonese language as it was written in the XVI century. In it we can also read the date of construction of the temple already mentioned. Also from the 16th century are the hermitage of San Clemente and the hermitage of San Blas, examples of the traditional architecture that is still preserved in the municipality.
Belonging to the municipality of Broto, Bergua is one of its beautiful towns. It preserves a curious architecture from previous centuries. Here you can see two twin defensive towers built in the 16th century. These towers have a rectangular floor plan with large windows and arrow slits. It also has a church from the XVI century that is erected on top of an earlier Romanesque church.
Near Bergua is the hermitage of San Bartolomé, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. A temple of the X and XI that has a rectangular floor plan with triple apse of pre-Romanesque style and in which there are frescoes of the seventeenth century. The building is made of masonry and ashlar. From Bergua, take a path to the east of the track that leads to the hermitage.
Broto standing beautifully among the Pyrenees. | Shutterstock
These are the two neighborhoods that make up Broto, separated one on each bank of the Ara River. The district of Santa Cruz on the north side and the district of Porches on the south side. Considering different neighborhoods to several groups of houses that are separated by the course of a river over which crosses a bridge is a very typical custom of the villages of the higher region of Aragon. Previously, the neighborhoods were connected by a medieval bridge that was destroyed during the Civil War. At present, the road runs between the two neighborhoods thanks to a concrete bridge.
Oto, another small town that forms the municipality. | Shutterstock
Another of the small towns that make up this municipality is Oto. The tower of Oto was built at the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century, and was used as a prison during the following centuries. The fact is that the exact date of its construction is unknown. Although most of the similar towers in Sobrarbe date from the 16th century, some testimonies and the peculiarities of its spans indicate that the Oto tower already existed in 1512. As part of the Aragonese cultural heritage, the tower has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.
