The Church of Sant Serni de Canillo is a church located in

Canillo Canillo () is one of the seven parishes which make up Andorra. Canillo is also the name of the main town of the parish. The parish is considered the religious center of Andorra with the Sanctuary and Chapel of Our Lady of Meritxell, patron sain ...

, Andorra, and was constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is a heritage property registered in the

Cultural Heritage of Andorra The Cultural Heritage of Andorra is an organization in Andorra which protects national buildings and monuments considered of cultural and historical value. Selected buildings listed * Antiga fàbrica de pells * Antiga Vegueria Francesa * Cal Batl ...

. A prior church, made using

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

, existed where the Church of Sant Serni de Canillo now stands. It has the tallest

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 to ...

in Andorra and there are tombs dating from the 7th to 18th centuries underneath it.

History

Located in

, Andorra, a church in the town was first mentioned in 957. It became a part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell The Diocese of Urgell (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Catalonia (Spain) and the Principality of Andorra in the historical County of Urgell,Cultural Heritage of Andorra The Cultural Heritage of Andorra is an organization in Andorra which protects national buildings and monuments considered of cultural and historical value. Selected buildings listed * Antiga fàbrica de pells * Antiga Vegueria Francesa * Cal Batl ...

listed the church as an asset of cultural interest on 16 July 2003. In 2009, a series of tombs from the 7th to 18th centuries were discovered during renovations.

Structure

A previous church was constructed at the same premise in the 12th century using

, major expansions were made to the building in the 17th and 18th centuries using

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

. Most of the building uses Baroque architecture. The church uses a rectangular floor plan and has a quadrangular

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. It has a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roof and is three stories tall. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

has a wooden ceiling. It has a

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

wooden

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and some furniture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The main altar is dedicated to

Saturnin Saturnin of Toulouse (, , , , and , , and ) was one of the ''" Apostles to the Gauls"'' sent out (probably under the direction of Pope Fabian, 236–250) during the consulate of Decius and Gratus (250–251) to Christianise Gaul after the pers ...

and was constructed in the later half of the 17th century. There are several altarpieces within the chapels including a 17th-century altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin Mary; an 18th-century altarpiece dedicated to the Holy Christ; and a 19th-century altarpiece with a devotion to Saint Anthony. Restoration work was done on the murals in the church in 2019.

Bell tower

The Church of Sant Serni de Canillo has the tallest

in Andorra, standing at 28.5 meters in height. It is semi-detached and on the south side of the church. The bell in the tower, which weighs 120 kilos, was created in 1833, and was restored in 2024, after suffering two cracks.

References

Works cited

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Esglesia de Sant Serni de Canillo Canillo Roman Catholic churches in Andorra Cultural Heritage of Andorra