HISTORY

Bisaura or Besora, two names that converge into a single place, are witnesses to a rich and diverse past. Its name, of Basque origin, echoes with deep roots in a land inhabited since Neolithic times by the ancient Basque settlers from the Pyrenees. BASSA-URI-A, in its etymology, is interpreted as “city of the wood”, something that evokes the density and magnificence of the woods that cover this region. Over time, Bisaura experienced a phonetic evolution that ended up becoming Besora.

This valley, a spot of immense human interest and a captivating beauty, stands as a living witness of history. Villages such as Sant Quirze de Besora, Santa Maria de Besora, Vidrà, Ciuret, Sora and Montesquiu weave this human mosaic that shapes this singular region. Each small spot, each corner, tell of its own history and contribute to the indescribable charm of this land

Beginnings

At the end of the 9th century, between Santa Maria de Besora and Vidrà, the first stone of Mas Pujolons was placed. The Pujolons (or Pujalons) family worked these lands for five hundred years, and experienced times of both prosperity and adversity. They confronted wars, the Black Death and the contests for the defence and reconquest of Islamic territories, while the property gradually established itself as one of the most important estates in the territory.

On the 5th of May 1258, Ramon de Besora and his wife Blanca, counts of the castle of Besora, recognised with honours Ramon (Raimundus) Pujolons and officially granted him Mas Pujolons for his dedication and service.

Mas Clarella

In the 15th century, during the Catalan Civil War (fought between the nobility and the peasantry), Pere Pujolons and his wife, Marquesa de Noguer, married their daughter Francina to a young man from Ripoll. His name was Jaume Clarella.


This was a very different marriage from the usual ones. Francina had brothers and, by tradition, the first-born had to inherit the family’s properties. However, in this case it was not thus. According to the documentation we have consulted, Jaume worked in Mas Clarella as a labourer and won the trust of the owners and affection of their daughter. We believe that Francina and Jaume married for love. All the information we have of this marriage confirm this. Francina’s brother, and first-born, gave up the inheritance of Mas Pujolons in exchange for inheriting Mas Noguer (the other family property), as recorded in the marriage contracts that they signed. 

In the nineteen-eighties, and above all as from 2013, Mas Clarella entered a decisive stage of restoration. First the Barrado family (from Barcelona) and later the Call family (from the United States) rehabilitated the property. The house was reformed in an attempt to recover what had existed in the times of splendour, and the terraces, which had been more than a century without vines, were replanted. Brad Call and his wife Teresa Jensen have undertaken an integral rehabilitation project of the property and have created a project for the production of some magnificent mountain wines. CLARELLA.

The Carlist stamps

Another historic event in 1874 relates Mas Clarella to the printing of stamps aimed at financing the Carlist army. In the early 19th century a marriage joined two of the wealthy families of the valley: the Clarella and Ferrés families.

A granddaughter of this marriage was Mercè Clarella Alibés, who married Joan Vidal de Llobatera (a politician and Carlist Member of Parliament with a pronounced social profile). During the third Carlist war, first at Mas Ferrés and later at Mas Clarella, Carlist stamps were printed that were used as payment for the purchases and needs of this army’s soldiers.

Today

In the nineteen-eighties, and above all as from 2013, Mas Clarella entered a decisive stage of restoration. First the Barrado family (from Barcelona) and later the Call family (from the United States) rehabilitated the property. The house was reformed in an attempt to recover what had existed in the times of splendour, and the terraces, which had been more than a century without vines, were replanted. Brad Call and his wife Teresa Jensen have undertaken an integral rehabilitation project of the property and have created a project for the production of some magnificent mountain wines. CLARELLA.