The erosion has sculptured several natural shelters in the slope of Les Brucardes above the river Llobregat, which continues to the north, in the district of Sant Fruitós de Bages, the cliff of Les Marcetes and Roca Tinyosa. A few years ago, cave paintings were discovered in one shelter that’s located almost to the level of the urbanization of Les Brucardes. The path surrounding Les Brucardes by the east, between the spring of La Tolega and the plain of Rovellons, gets this shelter. The path has recently been upgraded with a stairway that saves its most straight and difficult stretch.
The paintings are made in a reddish shade. They schematically display the sun or a star, hands (or perhaps the first 4 bars of the Catalan flag?) and several animals. Its estimated date is the end of Neolithic, around the year 3500 ± 500 BC. The shelter must be larger when the paintings on its wall were made. Further one, the border of the roof fell down, as the fallen rocks still with sharp edges in the faces were they broke proof. The place facing east and dominant above the Llobregat valley had to be comfortable.
The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Generalitat de Catalunya has declared these paintings, the only ones known in central Catalonia, Cultural Good of National Interest (BCIN) and has protected them through a metallic fence around the shelter to prevent from uncontrolled access.
The photos show the detail of the cave paintings and the shelter seen from above and below.
The 1st photo displays also several cannonballs into the sandstone. One diametrically cut cannonball frames the painting that is understood as the sun.