Sant Martí de Biure
Encyclopedia
Sant Martí de Biure is a tenth century Romanesque
church located in the municipality of Sagàs
, Catalonia
, northern Spain
.
, then called Benevivere, who had recently come to the area as part of the attempts at repopulation of the areas recently conquered by the Christian Counts of Barcelona from the Moors
. With the encouragement of a local baron named Guadamir, bishop Nantigís of Urgell consecrated the church on 13 December 903, establishing it as the seat of its own parish.
In 1044 it was re-consecrated by bishop Guillem Guifré of Urgell, who confirmed its status as an independent parish. It is possible that the church was a residence of the Knights Templar
from the end of the 12th century until the extinction of the order in the fourteenth century.
Soon afterwards, as a result of a drop in population in Biure, the church lost its status as an independent parish, and it became part of the parish of Sant Andreu de Sagàs. Still, a side chapel and a sacristy
were added onto the church at around this time.
Around the year 1890, the bishop of Vic, Josep Morgades took a 'majestat' (probably a crucifix
of Christ wearing a robe) from the church and placed it in the Episcopal Museum of Vic. It is not known whether the piece is still in the museum's collection.
The church was restored in the 1950s.
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 Sagàs
Sagàs
Sagàs is a small town and municipality located in Catalonia, in the comarca of Berguedà. It is located in the geographical area of the pre-Pyrenees.-Population:...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, northern 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 was built sometime around the turn of the tenth century by the inhabitants of the town of BiureBiure
Biure is a municipality in the comarca of the Alt Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated to the north-west of Figueres, to which it is linked by the GE-504 road.- Demography :-References:...
, then called Benevivere, who had recently come to the area as part of the attempts at repopulation of the areas recently conquered by the Christian Counts of Barcelona from the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
. With the encouragement of a local baron named Guadamir, bishop Nantigís of Urgell consecrated the church on 13 December 903, establishing it as the seat of its own parish.
In 1044 it was re-consecrated by bishop Guillem Guifré of Urgell, who confirmed its status as an independent parish. It is possible that the church was a residence of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
from the end of the 12th century until the extinction of the order in the fourteenth century.
Soon afterwards, as a result of a drop in population in Biure, the church lost its status as an independent parish, and it became part of the parish of Sant Andreu de Sagàs. Still, a side chapel and a sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
were added onto the church at around this time.
Around the year 1890, the bishop of Vic, Josep Morgades took a 'majestat' (probably a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
of Christ wearing a robe) from the church and placed it in the Episcopal Museum of Vic. It is not known whether the piece is still in the museum's collection.
The church was restored in the 1950s.