Sant Joan de Foixà
Encyclopedia
Sant Joan de Foixà is a twelfth century Romanesque
church located in the municipality of Foixà
, Spain
.
) was restored in 1058 by the countess Ermesinde
of Barcelona
to Berengar
, bishop of Girona
. This is the first document in which the church is mentioned by the name of Sancti Johannis Fusxano.
The current church dates mostly from the 16th century, however some vestiges of the church that existed in the mid 12th century still remain.
Most likely during the War of the Remences
the church served as a fortress because in the upper left wall were two corbels which could have supported a machicolation
.
Curiously, a car garage at the north end, constructed in 1958 for the priest, has recently been demolished.
, semicircular apse
and lateral chapels.
The entrance features a pointed frontispiece
with four sloping archivolts supported by fluted columns with original capitals
, a lintel and a pediment
. The capital on the left features a floral pattern while the right, two devouring monsters, a type of winged lion that swallow a person whole. The lintel at the center features a small rhomboid emblem in bas-relief depicting tools of the trade of the master of the house.
In the leaf of the door the lock is in the shape of a snake, found in many churches in the country. The shape, rooted in the Romanesque
period, lasted well until into the Baroque
period.
The interior boasts adorned archways depicting fantastic animals, the comic and caricaturesque faces of people and floral ornaments, a remarkably popular decoration. At the center of the façade is a simple rose window
. The flooring is tiled throughout.
In 1624 priest Andrew Madiona was interred inside the church. In the 18th century two members of two important families were also laid to rest there: Joan Perich and Tomas Torres
.
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church located in the municipality of Foixà
Foixà
Foixà is a village and municipality in the comarca of the Baix Empordà.-Geography:The rural village of Foixà stretches from the right bank to the lower basin of the Ter river. It is divided into two main sections: the village, which surrounds the old 13th century Castle of Foixà atop a hill, and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
History
The church of Sant Joan de Foixà (Catalan for Saint JohnJohn the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
) was restored in 1058 by the countess Ermesinde
Ermesinde of Carcassonne
Ermesinde of Carcassonne was a noblewoman in southern France, the daughter of Roger I of Carcassonne. She married to Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona....
of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
to Berengar
Berengar of Berga
Berengar , the third son of Wilfred II of Cerdanya and Guisla, was the count of Berga in 1050 from the death of his brother Bernard I until he renounced the county later the same year to become bishop of Girona until his death. The county passed to his elders brother Raymond I of Cerdanya....
, bishop of Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
. This is the first document in which the church is mentioned by the name of Sancti Johannis Fusxano.
The current church dates mostly from the 16th century, however some vestiges of the church that existed in the mid 12th century still remain.
Most likely during the War of the Remences
Remença
Remença was a Catalan mode of serfdom. Those who were serfs under this mode are properlypagesos de remença ; they are often referred to simply as remences .The Rebellion of the Remences or War of the Remences was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe against...
the church served as a fortress because in the upper left wall were two corbels which could have supported a machicolation
Machicolation
A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...
.
Curiously, a car garage at the north end, constructed in 1958 for the priest, has recently been demolished.
Architecture
The late Gothic church is complete with naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, semicircular apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
and lateral chapels.
The entrance features a pointed frontispiece
Frontispiece (architecture)
In architecture, a frontispiece is the combination of elements that frame and decorate the main, or front, door to a building. The term is especially used when the main entrance is the chief face of the building rather than being kept behind columns or a portico. Early German churches often...
with four sloping archivolts supported by fluted columns with original capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
, a lintel and a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. The capital on the left features a floral pattern while the right, two devouring monsters, a type of winged lion that swallow a person whole. The lintel at the center features a small rhomboid emblem in bas-relief depicting tools of the trade of the master of the house.
In the leaf of the door the lock is in the shape of a snake, found in many churches in the country. The shape, rooted in the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
period, lasted well until into the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
period.
The interior boasts adorned archways depicting fantastic animals, the comic and caricaturesque faces of people and floral ornaments, a remarkably popular decoration. At the center of the façade is a simple rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
. The flooring is tiled throughout.
In 1624 priest Andrew Madiona was interred inside the church. In the 18th century two members of two important families were also laid to rest there: Joan Perich and Tomas Torres
Tomás Torres
Tomás Torres may refer to:*Tomás de Torres, Portuguese astrologer teacher of King John III of Portugal*Tomás Torres Mercado, Mexican left-wing politician...
.