Sant Llorenç de Morunys is a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

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

Province of Lleida The Province of Lleida (; ; ) is one of the four provinces of Catalonia. It lies in northeastern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Catalonia, and is bordered by the provinces of Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Zarag ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. 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 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 dates to 1419. The altar, also in Baroque style, was designed by Joan Francesc Morato in the early 18th century and was partially destroyed during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. 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