Sant Llorenç de Morunys is a Benedictine monastery in

Sant Llorenç de Morunys Sant Llorenç de Morunys is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Solsonès in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the Lord valley in the north of the ''comarca'' below the pyrenean massif of Port del Comte. The shrine of Lord is located in ...

Province of Lleida The Province of Lleida (; Aranese Occitan: Lhèida ; es, Lérida ) is one of the four provinces of Catalonia. It lies in north-eastern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Catalonia, and is bordered by the Provinces of ...

, Catalonia, Spain. It was declared a ‘Historic and Artistic Monument‘ in 1976. There is known to be a community of clergy in the area since 885 and the first mention of a monastic house there was in 971. By the end of the 13th century, the town of Sant Llorenç de Morunys was growing; however, in 1592 the monks moved to Santa Maria de Gerri and the following year the monastery became a church.

Architecture and fittings

The building is an example of

First Romanesque One of the first streams of Romanesque architecture in Europe from the 10th century and the beginning of 11th century is called First Romanesque or Lombard Romanesque. It took place in the region of Lombardy (at that time the term encompassing ...

-Lombard style of the 11th century, It is designed in the basilica plan with three naves. The nave is covered with a barrel vault. Under the apse was the main crypt, now in ruins. A baroque altar of

Josep Pujol i Juhï Josep is a Catalan masculine given name equivalent to Joseph (Spanish ''José''). People named Josep include: * Josep Bargalló (born 1958), Catalan philologist and former politician * Josep Bartolí (1910-1995), Catalan painter, cartoonist and w ...

is dedicated to the ''Mare de Deu dels Colls''. It covers much of the chapel and is highly decorated with a profusion of images and representations, including one of the brunette virgin. It is considered one of the most representative works of Catalan Baroque. There are murals in the central apse and the dome is painted the 19th century. The Baroque ''L'Esperit Sant'' Gothic altarpiece by

Lluís Borrassà Lluís Borrassà (c.1360, Girona? - c.1426, Barcelona?) was a Catalan painter. He was employed by the Crown of Aragon and is widely considered to have introduced the International Gothic painting style into the Principality of Catalonia. Life & ...

dates to 1419. The altar, also in Baroque style, was designed by

Joan Francesc Morato Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

in the early 18th century and was partially destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. In the Romanesque door, there are Lombard arcades. The bell tower and cloister are in Renaissance style of the 16th century. The cloister, trapezoidal in shape, has two galleries with arches supported by smooth columns.

References

Bibliography

* Tomo 18 (2004). ''La Gran Enciclopèdia en català''. Barcelona, Edicions 62. (Catalán).

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monestir de Sant Llorenc de Morunys Benedictine monasteries in Catalonia Romanesque architecture in Catalonia Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Lleida