Tella: a guide to the charming town of legendary witches Harry Potter fans will love

Tella is an enchanting town and, according to legend, also enchanted since it belongs to a region associated with witches, magic, and covens. Nestled high in the Aragonese Pyrenees at 1,340 meters (4,396 feet), this is a village where history and legend intertwine. Its origins stretch back to prehistoric times, evidenced by ancient dolmens that dot the landscape, silent witnesses to millennia of human presence.

Beyond its folklore, Tella captivates with its architectural and natural heritage. The 16th-century Church of San Martín, with its striking Gothic features, stands as a testament to the village’s enduring faith. The famed Dolmen Route leads visitors through megalithic monuments, while the ‘Route of the Three Hermitages’ unveils centuries-old sanctuaries, each linked to legends of protection against dark forces. These paths offer more than history—they invite travelers into a world where belief and landscape merge.

Yet, Tella’s greatest allure may be its harmony with nature. As a gateway to the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, the village provides access to untamed beauty—soaring cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and forests alive with Pyrenean wildlife. Whether drawn by history, legend, or the serene power of the mountains, visitors to Tella find themselves immersed in a place where the past lingers and the spirit of adventure thrives.

Post last updated on April 20, 2025 (originally published on June 23, 2021) by Roberta Darie.

“Nature always carries the colors of the spirit.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Where is Tella and how to get there

Perched in the Aragonese Pyrenees, Tella is a secluded mountain village that feels like a hidden world of its own. Located in the province of Huesca, within the Sobrarbe region, it lies near the entrance to the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. Its strategic position—surrounded by rugged peaks and deep valleys—once made it an ideal refuge for shepherds, hermits, and even those accused of witchcraft. Today, it remains a sanctuary for travelers seeking tranquility, history, and breathtaking natural beauty.

Reaching Tella is an adventure in itself, one that rewards visitors with unforgettable views at every turn. The most common route begins in Aínsa, a medieval town just 23 kilometers away, where travelers can follow the winding HU-631 road through dramatic landscapes of limestone cliffs and dense forests. The drive, though narrow in some sections, offers a scenic transition from the lowlands to the heart of the Pyrenees. For those coming from larger cities, the closest major airports are in Zaragoza and Barcelona, both offering connections to Huesca and Aínsa via bus or car rental.

For intrepid explorers, hiking trails provide an alternative way to experience Tella’s surroundings. Several well-marked routes lead from nearby villages, immersing travelers in the region’s raw beauty before they even arrive. Whether by road or on foot, the journey to Tella is more than just a means of reaching a destination—it is a passage through time, a gateway to a world where history and legend still linger in the mountain air.

Tella and its witchcraft folklore

For generations, this isolated mountain community told tales of witches, giants, werewolves, supernatural abilities, and magical plants. And soon, everyone had heard of them.

So much so that in the 11th century, Bishop Oliva mentioned the prevalence of witchcraft in this province in a letter to the King of Pamplona, Sancho el Mayor.

Therefore, to safeguard the settlement from spells, the Church allowed the construction of the Tella Hermitages. Three temples forming a protective ring that kept witches at bay and shielded the land from storms.

I don’t know about the witches, but I can certainly say that storms are very present in the Aragonese Pyrenees. I spent the night near Tella, hearing the clouds breaking down in a rain I thought would never end.

Tella and the witch scaring chimneys

However, it did. And the following day, the town emerged like a picture from another age, able to travel through time and touch the sky. Crowned by witch-scaring chimneys, still widespread in northern Huescan communities.

These conical structures known as “chamineras” rise over the roofs of the oldest residences. Artisans and locals occasionally top them with strange items such as plain vertical rocks, cone-shaped stones, pots, crucifixes, or fearsome beasts.

Furthermore, these gadgets were called “espantabrujas” and intended to keep witches who flew over the houses from reaching them through the chimney. 

Originally, they were humanoid, cruciform, and porous stones. They had a hole in the center that whistled when air flowed through. However, they are not crosses but rather nasty tiny dolls with extended arms, resembling someone trying to stop the passage.

They can also simulate heads, likewise incredibly hideous. In other cases, pitchers or similar clay vessels served as espantabrujas due to the cleansing role water has always had.

Before going to bed, people used to leave fire tongs open in the shape of a cross or draw a cross in the ashes after the fire burned out. They also placed a figurine called “motilón” or “motilonot” on the hearthside. It was a handcrafted unfired clay doll (probably mirroring the roman lares gods) who guarded the entryway against the witches.

What to see in Tella

Tella embodies the charm of the Aragonese Pyrenees like few other places. Despite its small size, it is full of surprises: churches hidden in the mountains, hundreds of witch stories, archaeological sites, and prehistoric remains…

The visit to the town itself takes about an hour. Nevertheless, you can complement your stay with the area’s two most popular hiking paths: the Route of the Hermitages and the Route of the Dolmens.

The Tella Cave Bear Museum

The Tella Cave Bear Museum is a fantastic place to start the local tour. It stands near the entrance, close to the parking lot, and serves as a tourist office for the entire region.

Inside, you will not only discover a significant amount of information on Tella’s history, but you can also buy tickets for your visit.

Furthermore, it is an interpretation point for the homonymous cave. A location that takes us 1.5 km from the town and 20,000 years into the past. During this remote time, the cave was a refuge for about 100 cavern bears and the occasional human being.

The Church of San Martín of Tella

This building has been protecting the town entrance for ages. Dating from the 16th century, it is a small example of Pyrenean Romanesque, built with masonry and mortar.

The Church of San Martín has a long central nave with chapels on each side (in the transept) and a rectangular chancel lower and narrower than the rest of the edifice.

On the exterior, a tower and a small cemetery that is still in use stand out.

The House of the witch Museum

The friendly host accompanied me on the town tour, leading up to the Casa de la Bruja: a museum that picturesquely explains the sorceress’s practices, potions, and lifestyle.

Here you can learn about witchcraft and local tales. Discover magical plants and their uses, regional protecting aspects, and the meaning natural elements like water or storms hold for locals. 

In addition, traditions regarding the origin of mountains, such as Monte Perdido and the Brecha de Rolando immerse you in the wonderful realm of the Pyrenees and Alto Aragón ethnobotany.

The Tella Dolmen

A modest structure in the northwestern part of the Tella plain transports us directly to the Neolithic era. A pleasant archaeological surprise in the form of a dolmen.

A dolmen is a megalithic construction composed of multiple slabs (orthostats) anchored to the ground in a vertical posture and one colossal slab resting on top of them as a cover. 

This arrangement created a chamber encircled by a mound of supporting earth or stones that concealed the steep slabs. The result was an artificial hill that served as a funeral marker.

These Neolithic and Chalcolithic constructions extend across Western Europe, particularly along the Atlantic coast. Its ostensible goal is often collective burial. However, it can also be a method of seizing land and solidifying tribal identity.

So old, simple, and impressive!

The Route of the three Hermitages protecting Tella

Nevertheless, I think the most spectacular thing about Tella is the Route of the three Hermitages: the Hermitage of Saints John and Paul (11th century); the Hermitage of the Virgin de Fajanillas (12th century); and the Hermitage of the Virgin of the Rock (16th century).

Located at the gates of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, they formed a ring of telluric forces that protected the inhabitants of Tella from witches and storms.

The trail takes around an hour and a half and follows rather steep paths. Even so, it is somehow suitable for people not used to hiking (like myself).

Hermitage of Saint John and Saint Paul (11th century)

After walking through the leafy forest of Pino Rollo and Boxwood, you will find the oldest temple on the route of the three hermitages.

It was built in the 11th century close to the famed rocky outcropping known as Puntón de las Brujas, where witches celebrated their Akelarres (covens).

Given its compact size and floor design with a single nave and an ultra-semicircular chancel facing east, this church’s architecture is considered pre-Romanesque. Bishop Borrel de Roda de Isábena consecrated it in 1019.

The horseshoe form of this apse, influenced by Catalan Romanesque, is its most unusual feature. This plant is uncommon in the Aragonese Pyrenees, occurring only at the hermitage of San Aventín de Bonansa (c. XI century).

Under the apse is a tiny semicircular crypt. It is covered by a crude barrel vault and accessible from the right side of the nave.

The only entrance to the temple is on the southern front, protected by a modest arch made of tufa stone voussoirs.

The Hermitage of the Virgin of the Fajanillas (13th century)

The Hermitage of the Virgin of the Stripes is a modest Romanesque shrine built in the 13th century. It consists of a single nave with a square floor plan and a semicircular apse covered by an oven vault. In the 16th century, its tower was connected to the north wall.

The temple was consecrated in the 13th century and served as the parish seat of the town until 1597 when this privilege was transferred to the church of San Martín.

Hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña (16th century)

The Virgen de la Peña Hermitage stands on a small slope observable from the town. Constructed in masonry, it is a late example of Pyrenean Romanesque architecture. However, town folk altered its appearance in the 16th century.

The church consists of a single nave covered by a barrel vault and a straight east-facing head shorter and narrower than the nave.

A continuous bench extends the length of the nave’s lateral walls, all the way to the doorway in the South wall and the chapel on the North side.

Its walls and vaults remain unplastered, exposing the bare stone. Additionally, large stone slabs constitute the pavement. The entryway is located at the footwall and has a semicircular arch with broad voussoirs holding above a rectangular niche with a dedication figure.

A magical setting called Tella

The three hermitages are apotropaic structures and gems of Pyrenean Romanesque architecture. However, their most striking aspect is not their design but their surroundings. It’s the breathtaking view of the Escuain Gorge, the Cinca Valley, and the great rocky mass of the Castillo Mayor.

With the enchanted valley at your feet and your head in the clouds, believing in magic, contemplating the divine, and experiencing a deep connection with Nature arise effortlessly. They are simple, like breathing or walking along the paths sketched among the trees.

Admirable and humble footprints humans left amid magnificent Nature as a refuge from it and a metaphor for it. Alongside the Puntón de las Brujas, defying the winds…