Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants - 002

Sant Pere de Galligants is

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey in

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

. Since 1857, it is home to the

Archaeology Museum of Catalonia The Archaeology Museum of Catalonia ( ca, Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya, MAC) is an archaeological museum with five venues that exposes the most important archaeological collection of Catalonia, focusing on prehistoric times and ancient history ...

venue in the city. The name translates to English as "Saint Peter of Galligants", where Galligants refers to the River Galligants that runs past the abby.

History

The monastery was built from 992, outside the walls of Girona, when

Ramon Borrell, count of Barcelona Ramon Borrell ( ca, Ramon Borrell, es, Ramón Borrell; 972–1017) was count of Barcelona, Girona and Ausona from 992. He was the son of Borrell II of Barcelona and Letgarda of Rouergue, and was associated with his father in ruling the counties ...

gave to the monks rights over the quarter of Sant Pere. The monks held the ruler of the quarter until 1339, when King

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV, ; an, Pero, ; es, Pedro, . In Catalan, he may also be nicknamed ''el del punyalet'': "he of the little dagger". (Catalan: ''Pere IV''; 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''el Cerimoniós''), w ...

restored it to

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

. In 1117

Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona Ramon Berenguer III ''the Great'' was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1086 (jointly with Berenguer Ramon II and solely from 1097), Besalú from 1111, Cerdanya from 1117, and count of Provence in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1112, a ...

united the monastery to the Abbey of Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse, in what is now France, though Sant Pere kept an abbot of his own and a large degree of autonomy. Sant Pere was never a big community, and the church was not the local parish, and only baptisms were held in the monastery. In 1362, when the monastery was enclosed within the city's walls, it was redesigned to a more defensive shape. It started to decay from the 15th century, and in 1592 it was united to the also decaying monasteries of

Sant Miquel de Cruïlles Sant may refer to: People * Alfred Sant (born 1948), Maltese politician * Andrew Sant (born 1950), English-born Australian poet * David Sant (born 1968), Catalan director, actor and writer * Indira Sant (1914–2000), Indian poet * James Sant ( ...

and

Sant Miquel de Fluvià Sant Miquel de Fluvià is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The original part of the village lies just to the north of the river Fluvià and is dominated by the tower of an 11th-century church that was ori ...

. In 1835 the monastery included an abbot and four monks. It was declared a national monument in 1931. The small cloister is an example of Catalan

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this lat ...

. The northern gallery dates to 1154, while the remaining ones are from 1190. The capitals of the columns have motifs very similar to those in the cloisters of

Sant Cugat del Vallès Sant Cugat del Vallès (; es, San Cugat del Vallés, link=no) is a town and municipality north of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Known as ''Castrum Octavianum'' in antiquity (which literally means ''the castle of Octavianus'') and as ''Pins del Val ...

or in the

Cathedral of Girona Girona Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona (in Catalan: ''Catedral de Santa Maria de Girona'' or simply ''Catedral de Girona''), is a Roman Catholic church located in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the seat of the R ...

. Some depict scenes from Jesus' life, while others show typical Romanesque elements such as lions or sirens. Sirenas de doble cola

Overview

The Romanesque church was built in 1130, and has a nave and two aisles with a transept, and four apses. The portal, in a rather archaic style, comes probably from a previous building. It is surmounted by a

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

with a diameter of 3.5 meters. The interior features a series of side columns, with capitals having vegetable motifs, used to reinforce the central vault. The capitals of the apse columns are more elaborated, and were probably executed by different artists. Some of them have been attributed to the

Master of Cabestany The Master of Cabestany is the name given to an anonymous sculptor active in the second half of the 12th century. He was identified in the 1930s after the discovery of several pieces remarkable for their workmanship and their style; chief among t ...

. The bell tower has an octagonal plan and two sectors, the upper one, of two floors featuring with double arches divided by columns, decorated with

Lombard band A Lombard band is a decorative blind arcade, usually located on the exterior of building. It was frequently used during the Romanesque and Gothic periods of Western architecture. It resembles a frieze of arches. Lombard bands are believed to ha ...

Sources

External links

Short description and photos of the monastery
{{coord, 41, 59, 20, N, 2, 49, 35, E, region:ES-CT_type:landmark_source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title Pere de Galligants Romanesque architecture in Catalonia Archaeological museums in Catalonia Buildings and structures in Girona Museums in Girona Religious organizations established in the 10th century 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Churches completed in 1130

History

Overview

See also

Sources

External links