In the province of Lleida You can find some of the most impressive examples of Romanesque art from all over Spain, especially in the towns of the Aran Valley. But throughout this entire region of Catalonia, at the foot of the Pyrenees, There are other architectural gems that are at the same time maximum exponents of this style, as is the case of the extraordinary Saint Mary’s Cathedral, in it municipality of Seu d’Urgell.
In the historic town of the Pyrenees you can visit the monumental temple, which in addition to being one of the most spectacular in the entire Iberian Peninsula, has a very curious history: your bishop He is not only a religious authority of the highest level, but he is also the Head of state from a country very close to Spain: Andorra. Therefore, knowing her is one of those visits that are never forgotten in life.
The sublime Cathedral of Santa María in Urgel
The Cathedral of Saint Mary is the fourth building which has been erected in that same place in La Seu d’Urgell, as stated on the Generalitat website. It was built at the beginning of the 12th century about two pristine temples that did not have the magnitude of this one, since San Olot (bishop of the county) wanted to demonstrate the immense power of the area. In this way, your thick walls and its austere appearance They have dominated the region for almost a millennium, although with modifications.
In 1918, Josep Puig i Cadafalch removed the Baroque plasters that covered the temple to leave it in its original appearance, and confirm it as the only entirely Romanesque cathedral of Catalonia: “Its dimensions and the Italianate style of the construction also make it a unique testimony of Romanesque Catalonia”, it is said on the Generalitat’s website, and it is that austerity It can be seen both on its façade and once you cross its doors.
A few decades after the construction of the cathedral, in the 13th century, it was added to the temple a beautiful cloister adjacent also following the canons of the Romanesque style: it is formed through four galleries whose columns are decorated with all kinds of details, while in the center there is a beautiful garden which only adds beauty to this historic and spectacular enclave.
The Bishop of Urgel is Head of the State of Andorra
The Cathedral of Santa María de La Seu d’Urgell has the particularity that its bishop is, in turn, Co-Prince of Andorra, which makes him one of the few heads of state in the world who also holds an ecclesiastical position (like the Pope). It all goes back to the feudal charter of the Paréage of Andorra in 1278, who divided this enclave between the mitrate and the count of Foix (the latter is currently replaced by the president of France, in this case Emmanuel Macron).
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