Santa Maria de Manresa
Encyclopedia
The Collegiate Basilica of Santa Maria, also known as La Seu, is a Romanesque
-Gothic
church in Manresa
, Catalonia
, northern Spain
.
, as well as the whole city. In 1000 count Ramon Berenguer I of Barcelona, together with his mother Ermesinde
and Oliva
, bishop of Vic, decided to refurbish the church.
Today only scanty remains are preserved of this Romanesque structures, and of its pre-Romanesque forerunner, including columns in the gallery (11th century), featuring columns with capitals having vegetable and geometrical motifs, and a 12th century portal. During the 14th century, Manresa undergo a large expansion, and a new Gothic structure was thus added above the pre-existing church. Construction started in 1322, under design by architect Berenguer de Montagut
, who had been previously working at Santa Maria del Mar
in Barcelona
. The first stone was placed in 1328m but works dragged on into the 15th century and later.
The crypt was built in 1578, followed by the Chapel of the Holiest in 1657. The bell tower, with a quadrangular shape, dates to 1592, while the Baroque cloister was built in the early 18th century. The main façade and the baptisteries are from 1915–1934, designed by Alexandre Soler i March, after an idea by Antoni Gaudí
.
Works of art include the following retablo
s:
There is also a painting by Lluís Borrassà (1411).
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,...
-Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church in Manresa
Manresa
Manresa is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographic centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged around the basilica of Santa María de la Seo....
, 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 of Santa Maria is documented from the year 890. In 999 the edifice was devastated by troops of Al-MansurAl-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir
Abu Aamir Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abi Aamir, Al-Hajib Al-Mansur , better known as Almanzor, was the de facto ruler of Muslim Al-Andalus in the late 10th to early 11th centuries. His rule marked the peak of power for Moorish Iberia.-Origins:He was born Muhammad Ibn Abi Aamir, into a noble Arab...
, as well as the whole city. In 1000 count Ramon Berenguer I of Barcelona, together with his mother 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....
and Oliva
Abbot Oliva
Oliva was the count of Berga and Ripoll and later bishop of Vic and abbot of Sant Miquel de Cuixà. He was the son of a noble Catalan house who abdicated his secular possessions to take up the Benedictine habit in the Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll...
, bishop of Vic, decided to refurbish the church.
Today only scanty remains are preserved of this Romanesque structures, and of its pre-Romanesque forerunner, including columns in the gallery (11th century), featuring columns with capitals having vegetable and geometrical motifs, and a 12th century portal. During the 14th century, Manresa undergo a large expansion, and a new Gothic structure was thus added above the pre-existing church. Construction started in 1322, under design by architect Berenguer de Montagut
Berenguer de Montagut
Berenguer de Montagut was a Catalan architect, master builder on Santa Maria del Mar.Little is known about Berenguer de Montagut's life...
, who had been previously working at Santa Maria del Mar
Santa Maria del Mar
This article is about the beach in Havana, Cuba. For other uses, see Santa María del Mar Santa María del Mar is a sandy beach located 12 miles east of Havana, Cuba along the Via Blanca highway....
in 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...
. The first stone was placed in 1328m but works dragged on into the 15th century and later.
The crypt was built in 1578, followed by the Chapel of the Holiest in 1657. The bell tower, with a quadrangular shape, dates to 1592, while the Baroque cloister was built in the early 18th century. The main façade and the baptisteries are from 1915–1934, designed by Alexandre Soler i March, after an idea by Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.Much of Gaudí's work was...
.
Overview
The church has a nave and two far narrower aisles, divided by eighteen octagonal pilasters, crowned by capitals with vegetable motifs. There is no transept. The interior has few decorations, with the exception of the large polychrome windows.Works of art include the following retablo
Retablo
A Retablo or lamina is a Latin American devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art....
s:
- St. Mark, by Arnau BassaArnau BassaArnau Bassa was a Catalan painter of the 14th century.He was the son and disciple of painter Ferrer Bassa, with whom he collaborated to numerous works...
(1346) - Holy Spirit, by Pere SerraPere SerraPere Serra was a painter in Gothic-Italian style, who was active in Catalonia in 1357-1406.He was born into a family of painters, including his brothers Jaume, Francesc and Joan. Like most of the Catalan painters of the period, he was influenced by the contemporary Italian painting, especially...
(1394), considered amongst the best examples of Catalan painting in the 14th century - St. Michael and St. Nicholas , by Jaume Cabrera (1406)
- Holy Trinity, a late work by Gabriel Guárdia (1501)
There is also a painting by Lluís Borrassà (1411).