Enseu
Enseu
The hamlet of Enseu is located in the northern sector of the municipality of Baix Pallars, at 761 metres above sea level, on the right-hand slope of the ravine of the same name, which begins in Sant Sebastià and passes through Baén. It is a place of great scenic and natural interest, very well suited to hiking and mountain biking. It is highly recommended to take the path that starts behind the monastery of Gerri and runs along the edge of the ravine until reaching Enseu: it is a beautiful route from which you can see the forest plant nursery and the magnificent engineering work carried out to control the Enseu ravine.
The first historical references we have to Enseu date from the first third of the 10th century, when a third of the village was sold to the monastery of Gerri. In the 13th century, Bernat de Puigcerver donated the village of Enseu to the abbey of Gerri, and we know that by the mid-14th century the administration of justice and the income drawn from Enseu were shared between the Count of Pallars and the monastery. Enseu had its own local council until the mid-19th century, when it was incorporated into the municipality of Gerri de la Sal.
The most significant building in the village is the Romanesque church of Sant Esteve, which dates from the 11th century although it has undergone several modifications. It stands at the entrance to the village and is a simple construction, with a single nave covered by a barrel vault and reinforced by a transverse arch. The nave is topped by a semicircular apse decorated externally with Lombard arches, some of which have disappeared. The church of Sant Esteve was always linked to the monastery of Gerri.