Vich Tourist Attractions
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The old town of Vich, the see of a bishop since 616, lies in a wide valley some 60km/37mi north of Barcelona, on the site of the Roman settlement of Ausa. It was the birthplace of the noted philosopher, mathematician and publicist Jaume Balmes (1810-48).
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Episcopal Museum
Immediately opposite the north side of the Cathedral in Vic is the Episcopal Museum, much the most important part of which is the department of Romanesque art.
Episcopal Museume - Descent from the Cross
Room I contains a world-famous carving of the Descent from the Cross (c. 1123); wall paintings from Romanesque churches in the surrounding area, including a complete apse from a 12th century church with paintings of the Creation of Man and the Fall; other apses; and many panel paintings of fine quality.
Episcopal Museum - Gothic Art
Room II moves on to Gothic art. Among the most notable items are a large alabaster altarpiece with a representation of the Passion, a large group of figures (c. 1467) from a Holy Sepulchre in the Cathedral and a number of Gothic altarpieces.
Episcopal Museum - Medieval Gothic
These seven rooms in the Episcopal Museum are devoted to 14th and 15th century Gothic painting. Among the artists represented are Pedro Serra, Ramón de Mur, Jaume Ferrer I and II, the Master of Preixana, Lluis Borrassà, Bernard Martorell and Jaime Huguet.
Episcopal Museum - Baroque Art
On the first floor is the department of Baroque art. Here too are prehistoric antiquities, Roman amphoras, terra sigillata and glass, a large collection of embroidered vestments, and examples of folk art.
Roman Temple
Immediately adjoining the Baroque facade of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Piedad, in the eastern part of the old town, are the remains (considerably restored) of a Roman temple of the A.D. second century. To the right are the remains of medieval walls and vaulting.
Plaza Mayor (Plaça Major)
The focal point of the old town of Vic (now surrounded by a circuit of streets on the line of the old walls) is the Plaza Mayor, in the northern part of the town.
Town Hall
From the Plaza Mayor's southeast corner a narrow street leads to the Casa Consistorial, originally built in Gothic style and enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries. It contains a portrait gallery of Vic's most distinguished sons and part of the municipal archives.
Mercat del Ram
A yearly flower market graces the town of Vich.
