The current sanctuary
A local tradition tells us that the Virgin of Bovera was miraculously discovered by a shepherd within the hollow of an oak tree. Every time attempts were made to bring her image to the nearby town of Guimerà, the Virgin would inexplicably return to the oak. This was interpreted as a clear sign of her desire for a sanctuary to be built on that spot, atop a hill to the west of the town.
Beyond the legend, it is known that in 1190, Pere de Tàrrega founded the Cistercian monastery of Santa Maria de la Bovera in a preexisting church, placing it under the direction of his daughter Elisenda, the first abbess of the site. There is no record of direct involvement from the monastery of Vallbona (Urgell) in the foundation, although it is presumed there was some form of support from that house. Additionally, Eufemià Fort mentions the possibility that the arrival of the Cistercian nuns was preceded by an earlier hermitic settlement.
Life at this location was relatively short-lived. In 1237, during the abbacy of Agnès de Guimerà, the community was granted permission to leave due to the site’s poor conditions. Part of the community moved to Santa Maria de Valldaura (Berguedà), while the rest relocated nearby, to the Corb River valley, where they established the new monastery of Santa Maria de Vallsanta. The definitive transfer to this site took place in 1246, once construction of the new establishment was completed. Bovera remained as a Marian sanctuary, undergoing various renovations that altered the original building, which was almost entirely replaced by the current church constructed between 1726 and 1730. Only a gallery of semicircular arches survives from the original structure. A 1481 altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin is preserved at the Episcopal Museum of Vic, with one of its panels depicting the miracle of the oak tree.
Old portico
Old portico
Church
Church
Miracle of the ox and the oak tree
Miracle of the ox and the oak tree
Now in Guimerà
Private collection
Francesc Solives, 1481
Museu Episcopal de Vic
Dormition of the Virgin
Francesc Solives, 1481
Museu Episcopal de Vic
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- SANTAMARIA ROVIRA, Joan (1935). Memòries del Monestir de Sant Pere de la Portella i de tot el seu Abadiat i Baronia. Solsona: Figueras
- VILA CARABASA, Josep Maria i altres (2015). El monestir de Santa Maria de Vallsanta (Guimerà) i la seva necròpolis medieval: arqueologia, història i antropologia. Urtx: revista cultural de l’Urgell. Núm. 29
To reach the sanctuary, take the turn-off to the left from the Tàrrega-Guimerà road. It is situated at the top of a hill.