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Description of the Private Tour Romanesque Art Route in Andorra:
Andorra is full of impressive works of Romanesque art, you can delve into the Andorran culture and enjoy a piece of Andorra’s history. Andorran pre-Romanesque and Romanesque art has preserved its essence, simplicity and beauty since the 11th and 12th centuries. The artistic manifestations of this architectural style in Andorra stand out for their sobriety, the reduced dimensions of the buildings and the perfect integration in the mountain landscape of the Pyrenees.
Barcelona Private Tours allows you to know each village impregnated with Romanesque art as they are: Pal; encompassed in the parish of La Massana, is famous for being one of the best examples of Romanesque art throughout Andorra, we will visit the great attraction that gave him that style: the Church of Sant Climent. The Romanesque is also very present in Ordino, since it has multiple places and very interesting monumental buildings. The most outstanding are: Church of San Martín de la Cortinada, Bridge of l’Estarell, Church of Sant Corneli and Sant Cebrià. We will culminate the visit of these beautiful places such as medieval stone bridges and churches with this Romanesque style, touring Andorra La Vella, specifically the Church of San Esteban de Andorra and the Bridge of Margineda.
Barcelona
12 Hours
Our private tour starts very early in the morning (time agreed upon in the reservation), you will be picked up by one of our driver guides, who will be in charge of directing you and describing each and every one of the most relevant instances of our tour.
The transfer to our first point will be done in one of our comfortable vehicles or the one you have previously chosen in your reservation.
Tour to our first destination.
With our arrival in Andorra, we will begin a route arriving at one of the most representative villages of the principality, Ordino; presenting incredible landscapes of great value, we will know each village impregnated with Romanesque art as they are:
Pal; encompassed in the parish of La Massana, it is famous for being one of the best examples of Romanesque art in all of Andorra. We will make a special visit to the Church of Sant Climent; Romanesque style church located in Pal, specifically in the parish of Massana, is one of the oldest temples that are preserved in Andorra, retaining elements of great artistic value, from the late eleventh century and later dates. Among them: a baptismal font made of granite, two processional crosses in polychrome wood and a carving of the Virgin of Remei, dating from the final phase of the Romanesque period in the country. There is also an altarpiece dedicated to Pope Clement I, the titular saint of the church.
The Romanesque is also very present in Ordino, since it has multiple places and very interesting monumental buildings. The most outstanding are:
The Church of San Martín de la Cortinada.
Romanesque temple located in La Cortinada, north of the parish of Ordino, has undergone numerous modifications over the centuries, the temple currently has a square floor plan, after being completely renovated between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Even its orientation was changed and nowadays the new chevet is oriented towards the north. From the Romanesque temple, part of the south and west walls, the bell tower and the apse, converted into a side chapel, have been preserved.
The Estarell Bridge
The bridge of Ordino or Estarell bridge (pont de l’Estarell, in Catalan) is a bridge of Romanesque origin in the parish of Ordino, with a single arch over the river of the Valira del Norte, on the old road that linked the Andorran towns of Ordino and Serrat. In 1980 it was moved to its present location.
The Church of Sant Corneli and Sant Cebrià
The building of the Church of Sant Corneli and Sant Cebrià dates from medieval times, and was considerably remodeled between the 17th and 19th centuries. Inside you will find a Romanesque carving of the Mare de Deu (Mother of God), polychrome wood, whose work is attributed between the late eleventh and early twelfth century. This virgin has the peculiarity of being one of the smallest in the principality of Andorra, measuring only 44 cm in height. Inside you will also find five baroque altarpieces (XVII and XVIII centuries), dedicated to Sant Corneli and Sant Cebrià.
We will continue the route visiting Sant Cristòfol d’Anyós.
The Church of Sant Cristòfol d’Anyós dates back to the 12th century and still preserves part of the original Romanesque structure composed of a small building. Until the 1930s, its interior was decorated with Romanesque mural paintings that were later removed. Currently, it houses a representation of the Holy Supper, from the 13th century Franco-Gothic period, surrounded by 16th century paintings depicting the passages of the souls of St. Michael, as well as the image of St. Christopher, patron saint of the church, which illustrates various scenes from the life and miracles of the Saint.
The Church of Sant Antoni de la Grella
This chapel is dedicated to St. Antoni Abat, patron saint of the travelers, and was restored at the end of the 20th century. It is a construction attached directly to the wall of a mountain and is located on the banks of the northern Valira river, on the old royal road that linked the parishes of La Massana and Escaldes-Engordany.
The Bridge of Sant Antoni de la Grella
The bridge of Sant Antoni de la Grella is of very simple construction, made with a single round arch, with a completely paved roadway and a small wall. Its height is 5.55 meters and its length, 21.20 m, passes over the river Valira del Norte and follows the royal road that linked the parish with Andorra la Vella. Its construction is of medieval origin and was rebuilt in the mid-twentieth century.
To finish the tour we will go to Andorra La Vella to visit Romanesque style sites such as:
Church of San Esteve
Church located in the Príncep Benlloch square of Andorra la Vella, it is of Romanesque origin (12th century) and has had important modifications during the 20th century. From the Romanesque period the semicircular apse is preserved, where the Romanesque mural paintings that are currently distributed in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and in two private collections were represented. The Wedding at Cana, the image of a winged bull and Christ before Pilate are some of the fragments of the pictorial ensemble preserved in the National Art Museum of Catalonia.
The Bridge of Margineda
The largest medieval bridge that Andorra preserves, located on the royal road that connects Andorra la Vella with Sant Julià de Lòria, it crosses the Valira River, the most important river in the Principality of Andorra. This is one of the few examples of medieval bridge between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries in existence. Next to the bridge is a modern sculpture, the work of the Valencian author Vicenç Alfaro, commemorating the First Congress of Catalan Language and Literature; the set of the two arches represents the Past and Present of Andorra.
End of the visit, return to Barcelona.
Learn about the different options we have available to visit different points of interest, visit our website Andorra Private Tours and book the private tour of your choice.