Sant Ximpli dels Hostalets d'en Bas
Sant Ximpli dels Hostalets d'en Bas (also: Sant Simplici dels Hostalets d'en Bas ) is a small peasant chapel near Hostalets d'en Bas near Olot in Catalonia , Spain , which dates back to 1350. The chapel was originally built in Romanesque style with a bell wall and a rectangular apse. The structure of the chapel was heavily redesigned in the 17th century during the Baroque period. It is located on a hill at 506 altitude from which one has an incredible view of the cliffs of Falgars in the Garrotxa . The chapel is closely connected to the old large farm "El Terrús" located nearby and the old trade route from Olot to Vic that runs through a dense forest . It is from this context that some legends about this chapel arise. This old trade route from Olot to Vic is also part of the local Camino de Santiago and the chapel is a stop on it. It is classified as a Catalan Asset of Local Interest.
The building
The building is built on a rectangular plan. On the south side, which is at risk of slipping, four buttresses support the structure on the north side. Later securing of the building statics was made visible on the outer facade with iron wall anchors. A rectangular apse connects to the east of the core building. The bell wall contains a cast iron bell. The entrance door is formed by a large-format stone lintel - dated to the year 1642 - which is supported by similarly dimensioned stone side parts. This lintel is a detailed copy of an older, broken lintel that still serves as a stepping stone in the western area of the church.
Stories
The close connection to the surrounding old farms and the location on an old trade route leading through a dense forest is also shown in the following farming legend: Suddenly the church bell began to ring every night. The approaching farmers saw a priest as a skeleton reading mass. However, this looked in vain for an acolyte to assist him. The Bishop of Girona, who was asked for advice, recognized a soul from purgatory in the priest's skeleton who was looking for redemption by reading the Mass. Accordingly, they sought a young acolyte whom they asked to assist a terrible-looking priest in reading mass. The boy was blindfolded. The skeletal priest, assisted by the young acolyte, held mass. Afterwards this skeleton priest was never seen again and the bells of the chapel were silent in the night.
literature
- Information board from "Garrotxa Cultur" on site (see under the media on the chapel on Wikimedia Commons)
- 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 .
- Enciclopèdia Catalana, Gran Geografia Comarcal de Catalunya, Volume 3, 1st edition, Barcelona 1981, ISBN 84-85194-17-9 (Volume 3), chapter “La Vall d'en Bas”, p. 354 ff., From there P. 360 a short description of the surroundings of the chapel "Sant Ximpli"
Web links
- Patrimoni Garrotxa: Sant Simplici dels Hostalets d'en Bas
- Sant Ximpli on Patrimoni.gencat (Generalitat de Catalunya)
Coordinates: 42 ° 5 '52.1 " N , 2 ° 27' 32.6" E
Remarks
- ↑ The eponymous patron of this chapel, either the martyr Simplicius (also Simplicianus) of Rome, who fell victim to Diocletian's persecution of Christians in the early 4th century as an avowed Christian and Roman soldier, or the reigning Pope Saint Simplicius from 468 to 483 (* in Tivoli, Italy; † March 10, 483 in Rome) could not be determined so far.
- ↑ The chapel is located directly on the left on the "old" path from Hostalets d'en Bas towards Vic.
- ↑ Information according to the description board on site (see the media on the chapel on Wikimedia Commons)
- ↑ The legend is portrayed after Borel i Sabater / Guardiola i Llobet, 2006.