Santa Maria de Ripoll

Coordinates: 42°12′5.51″N 2°11′26.69″E / 42.2015306°N 2.1907472°E / 42.2015306; 2.1907472
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Façade of the monastery.

The Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll is a

Benedictine monastery, built in the Romanesque style, located in the town of Ripoll in Catalonia, Spain. Although much of the present church is 19th century rebuilding, the sculptured portico is a renowned work of Romanesque art
.

History

The cloister.

The Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll was founded in 888 by Count

Santa Maria de Montserrat. It was also known for its collection of manuscripts which numbered 246 by the year 1046, and later included the 13th century Gesta comitum Barcinonensium
, considered to be the first history of Catalonia and written by the monks themselves.

From 1070 to 1169 the monastery was governed by the

Abbey of St. Victor of Marseille. Santa Maria de Ripoll was the main religious center of Catalonia until the 15th century, when it started to decline, beginning with the loss of control over the Monastery of Montserrat in 1402. In 1428 it was severely damaged by an earthquake, after which it was restored with the new parts in Gothic
style.

The monastery became the family mausoleum for the

Counts of Besalú, and well as a great center of learning, with a large library.[3]

The library and much of the monastery's vast archives were destroyed by fire in 1835, after it had been secularized. In 1847 part of the cloister was demolished, followed in 1856 by the abbey palace. It was rebuilt in 1886, under the direction of architect Elias Rogent, the basilica being consecrated in 1896.

Architecture

The original monastic church had a nave and four aisles, roofed by

Ramón Berenguer IV
.

The cloister contains more of the original structure than the church itself, the first floor having been built between 1180 and the early 15th century. The second floor dates to the 15th and 16th century. It is formed, on each side, by thirteen semicircular arches supported by small pairs of columns with carved

Corinthian-like capitals, sculpted by Pere Gregori and Jordi de Déu
. Each one of the latter has a different decoration, inspired by mythological themes or by daily life.

Portal.

The portal, although damaged by fires and restored in modern times, is a notable example of Catalan Romanesque sculpture. The frontal section features a

prophet Daniel
.

The portico is flanked by two statues, nearly destroyed, of St. Peter and St. Paul. Around them are various scenes, including the stories of Cain and Abel, that of Jonah and others.

Notable interments

Also buried at the abbey, but in a now-unknown place:

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Lapunzina 2005, p. 236.
  2. ^ Lambert 1930, p. 572-573.
  3. ^ Southern 1961, p. 121.

References

  • Lambert, A. (1930). "Arnold Scholasticus". Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques. Vol. 4. Letouzey et Ané.
  • Lapunzina, Alejandro (2005). Architecture of Spain. Greenwood Press.236
  • ISBN 978-0-300-00230-0
    .

External links

Media related to Monestir de Santa Maria de Ripoll at Wikimedia Commons

42°12′5.51″N 2°11′26.69″E / 42.2015306°N 2.1907472°E / 42.2015306; 2.1907472

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