Sant Joan (Isil)
The church of Sant Joan was formerly the parish church of Isil , a place in the municipality of Alt Àneu in the province of Lleida in the Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia . The church, built in the 11th or 12th century in the Lombard-Catalan architectural style, is located outside the village on the banks of the Noguera Pallaresa and is now used as a cemetery church. The south side of the church is decorated with numerous reliefs and consoles and has a step portal with rich sculptural decoration. In 1998 the church became a monument( Bien de Interés Cultural ) declared.
history
Already in the late 9th century inauguration of the Cathedral of Santa María in La Seu d'Urgell , a church in Isil is mentioned as belonging to the diocese of Urgell . The Romanesque church served as a parish church in the center of Isil until a new church was built in the 16th century. As a directory from 1566 shows, the church formerly belonged to a commander of the Order of St. John . Today Isil is under the parish of Esterri d'Àneu.
architecture
The church is designed as a three-aisled basilica . The nave is divided into pillars with half-columns on which the belt arches of the barrel vault rest. In the east there are three semicircular apses , the outer walls of which are decorated with pilaster strips and blind arcades . The main apse is broken through by three narrow windows, the two side apses each have a window. The apses rest on several layers of irregularly hewn stones that were built on rocks that protrude into the river bed.
portal
A Romanesque arched portal opens on the south side , the archivolts of which rest on six columns with figurative capitals . The outer archivolt has a chessboard frieze , the middle one is decorated with small rosettes . Human heads and arms crossed can be seen on two capitals, on one capital two birds with long necks face each other, on another capital a snake-like creature winds its way, another capital depicts a human head with fine features and lush hairstyle.
Sculpture jewelry
Stone slabs with relief depictions of animals, reclining figures and human heads are arranged under the roof. Underneath runs a blind arch frieze, which rests on corbels that are also carved with the heads of people and animals. At the level of the portal, the frieze is interrupted by two relief panels. Two people are depicted on both panels. On the left panel one person puts their arm around the other, on the right panel one person holds the other by the arm. A cross is shown between these two figures at head height. Individual letters can be seen on both panels, but their meaning has not been deciphered. Re-used corbels are built over the two Gothic pointed arched windows on the south facade. One wears a grimace, the other a human face.
literature
- Jaime Cobreros: Las Rutas del Románico en España . Volume 2, Madrid 2004, ISBN 84-9776-112-X , p. 105.
- Joan Ainaud de Lasarte: Catalogne novels . 3rd edition, Édition Zodiaque, Abbaye de la Pierre-Qui-Vire 1994, ISBN 2-7369-0208-4 , p. 301.
Web links
- Monasterio de Sant Joan de Isil Monasterios de Catalunya, accessed November 30, 2013 (Spanish)
Coordinates: 42 ° 40 ′ 33.4 " N , 1 ° 5 ′ 4.7" E