Sant Joan dels Balbs
Sant Joan dels Balbs was originally a single-nave Romanesque church from the 12th century in the very small district of the same name in the municipality of La Vall d'en Bas in the Catalan province of Girona in Spain . The church is at an altitude of 536 meters. It was completely destroyed by the earthquake in Olot in the 15th century and, unlike many other Romanesque chapels in the Garrotxa, it was largely rebuilt in the Romanesque style.
Building history
The present chapel was originally built in the 12th century. There was a previous building, because the church was first mentioned in 977 on the occasion of the handover of the building by Count Miró of Besalú to the monastery of La Pinya. In 1427 the church was mentioned as "Sent Johan dels Balps" when the parish privilege was granted by Vescomte Bernat Joan de Cabrera. The church was largely destroyed in the earthquakes of 1427 and 1428. From then until 1436, the mass was held in a makeshift hut. In the 15th century the church was rebuilt in two stages. The well-hewn, unpolished ashlar stones from the original Romanesque masonry were used for this. In the second phase, smaller ashlar stones were used. The differences in size of the basal masonry with its larger stones compared to the higher wall layers can be clearly seen. As in the original building, the apse was made semicircular again, but the radius of the apse was made smaller. This change compared to the previous Romanesque building can be clearly seen from the outside. During its reconstruction, the church was given a slight pointed arched vault opposite the Romanesque barrel vault. The also restored western front of the building has a portal with a round arch. An arched window is attached above. The bell wall with two openings is attached above the western front. In 1609 the chapel was subordinated to the parish of Santa Maria de La Pinya as a suffragan church. In the 18th century, a side chapel was added on each of the south and north sides. The extension in the south was used as a sacristy. In the west of this extension, a portico was built. In the southern outer area of the church there is a simple stone immersion font. In the iconoclastic turmoil leading up to the Spanish Civil War , the Romanesque figure of "Santa Maria" from the 12th century in the church was lost. It was a 65 centimeter high painted wood carving figure sitting on a throne. A child was sitting on her left knee. From 1978 to 1980 the church underwent a general restoration that brought the Romanesque style of the building back to full effect.
literature
- Josep Murlà i Giralt; Nicolau Gironès i Casanovas: Guia del romanic de La Garrotxa . Alzamora, Olot 1983, OCLC 434851504 . Page 80 f., There the article “Sant Joan dels Balbs”.
- Miquel Borell i Sabater, Rosa Guardiola i Llobet: Ermites encisadores, amb cotxe fins a la porta. Guies gironines, 2006, ISBN 978-84-935203-5-9 , pp. 74 f, article Vall d'en Bas - Sant Joan de Balbs, Sant Quintí i Sant Simplici .
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ The church is located about 1.5 southwest of the La Pinya part of the municipality of La Vall d'en Bas. It can be reached by driving from Olot towards Les Preses, before Les Preses turn right towards La Pinya and then towards Sant Privat d'en Bas. After about 700 meters, turn right onto a narrow paved road and drive towards the mountains. After about 1 kilometer you reach the small hamlet of Sant Joan de Balbs and about 300 meters above in the mountains the secluded chapel.
- ↑ Catalan nobility title
Coordinates: 42 ° 10 ′ 19.5 " N , 2 ° 25 ′ 33.8" E