Santa Maria d'Amer is a

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 ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

Amer, Selva Amer is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of la Selva in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. From 1895, Amer was linked to Girona by the narrow gauge Olot–Girona railway, which was extended to Les Planes d'Hostoles in 1900, Sant Feliu ...

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 ...

, Spain.

History

The monastery was founded in 820 by the abbot Deodat and initially was devoted to Saint Medir and Saint Genís. King

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

granted an immunity provision to the monastery which was confirmed by

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...

in 844 and in 860. In 949, it moved to a new location within Amer. Rebuilt and consecrated, it was dedicated to St. Mary. The monastery gained in importance and grew in assets in the following centuries. Although he was linked with the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Girona The Roman Catholic Diocese of Girona ( la, Gerunden(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Girona in the Ecclesiastical province of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain.Santa Maria de Cóll was founded. In 1381, the jurisdiction of the Amer religious community was left to the monastery. In 1445, it was associated for a brief period with the monastery of

Sant Pere de Galligants Sant Pere de Galligants is Benedictine abbey in Girona, Catalonia. Since 1857, it is home to the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia venue in the city. The name translates to English as "Saint Peter of Galligants", where Galligants refers to the Riv ...

. In 1592, by papal order, it was attached to the monastery of

Santa Maria de Roses Santa Maria de Roses is a ruined Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Roses, Alt Empordà comarca, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated within the Ciutadella de Roses, a fortification in the Province of Girona. It is the earliest known exa ...

, a union that lasted until the demise of the monastic life.

Architecture and fittings

Built in a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

plan, the naves include barrel vaults with an apse; two semicircular apses are vaulted with quarter spheres. These are joined together with four arches on each side, and are decorated with Lombard-style pilasters on top. Some columns have been replaced. The

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

is from 1900 replacing a Romanesque once, which disappeared during the Catalan Revolt. The

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

was destroyed in the earthquake of 1427, the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

being the only area preserved. Dating from the 11th century, there are two decorated

capitals Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

, one with geometric shapes and the other with four faces.

Bibliography

Oliveras, Josep Puigdemont, "L'acta de consagració de l'església del monestir de Santa Maria d'Amer", ''Quaderns de la Selva'', 14 (2002), 111-120

External links

- Monestirs de Catalunya {{Coord, 42.01, 2.601944, display=title Benedictine monasteries in Catalonia Christian monasteries established in the 9th century Romanesque architecture in Catalonia