Arcis

Alt Urgell

  Dolmens
1920 2000

The Moor's Hut of the Bedolls

It's located in the Ares mountain, near the ruins of Conorbau's house.
It was published, at the same time, by Josep Colominas Roca and Joan Serra Vilaró. The first saw it in october/november 1920 and published it in the Anuari de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans corresponding to 1915-1920, printed in 1923. The second, had visited the place in the year 1916, returned there in 1920 and his work was printed in 1927.

There is a clue that allows to think that most of the dolmens in Alt Urgell were found first by Serra Vilaró. Both men were there in 1920, but Serra Vilaró, speaking of the Montanissell dolmens, says: Being impossible to dig them the day when they were found, I relied on my friend Tonarro Villarrubla, from Organyŕ, which was my partner in other diggings, to do it; but we were lucky that the day he dug the graves the clever Institut d'Estudis Catalans digger, Josep Colominas, was there.

Colominas said: It is very well preserved, it has all the slabs that make the chamber and the capstone; it's surrounded by a cairn made of small stones that cover the chamber and that only show partially the capstone. The shepherds removed its interior making a hole in the cairn until they reached a side stone. Then they broke it and left a small opening, which allows to penetrate inside with great difficulty; they emptied the chamber, so we can't known if it was found anything there.

The last sad chapter with this dolmen shows the danger to which megaliths are exposed. In the year 1997 a wild energumen, looking for treasures, broke it totally, as can be seen in the bottom photo. Strange, the fact passed to the police hands. But, not so strange, they have not made any detention, yet.