For centuries, Romanesque murals coexisted with the churches for which they were created. Outside, the river, the wind, the flocks, the festivals, and the conversations in the square composed their soundtrack. Inside, silence, liturgy, incense, and the light moving across the walls created a space for imagination and a counterpoint to the harshness of life in the mountains.

This balance between the symbolic and the rural world was broken when the murals were removed. By separating them from their natural environment—this intangible heritage made of sounds and mystical sensations—the paintings not only became orphaned from their context but also lost their popular identity.

The exhibition entitled The Reverse Journey invites viewers to discover the light and listen to the soundscapes that now traverse some of these churches. This present moment reveals the fragility of the architecture and the changes imposed by the passing seasons, but also the intimate connections between each set of murals and their original atmosphere.

The itinerary proposed by Ona Balló links the apses of the churches of Santa María d’Àneu, Sant Pere del Burgal, Sant Pere i Sant Pau de Esterri de Cardós, Santa María de Ginestarre, Santa María de Taüll, and Santa Eulàlia d’Estaon, creating a journey of sound that evokes the persistence of that which cannot be transported, attempting to conjure some sort of magic: the feeling that the murals are reconnecting with their foundational soul, even if just for a few moments.

Researcher, curator, and cultural programmer, Ona Balló pursued her studies in film and art history between Paris and Barcelona. Her career focuses on the narrative intersections between sound and image. She is currently preparing a doctoral thesis and a documentary film on the relationship between the Romanesque murals of the Pyrenees and their original sound environment.

Organized and produced by: Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya