Church of Sant Llorenç, Lleida
Encyclopedia
Sant Llorenç is a Romanesque
church in Lleida
(Catalonia
, Spain
) dating from the late 12th century, with Gothic
additions from the 15th century. The initial architects of the church were Pere de Coma
, the master of works who in charge of La Seu Vella
, the old cathedral of Lleida. It has a nave
and two aisle
s, built with the same height, and three apses; the nave is in the Romanesque style, whereas the aisles are Gothic, as is the octagonal bell tower
. In 2002 part of the church was refurbished.
(attributed to Jaume Cascalls
), Saint Peter
and Saint Lucy
. One of the two entrances, on Plaça de Sant Josep, can be seen the family crest of Berenguer de Gallart. The church has been Lleida's episcopal see
twice during its existence. Among the works of art inside Sant Llorenç there are a Gothic painting of Santa Maria de la Candelera by Mateu Ferrer and the sculpture of the Mare de Déu dels Fillols, originally located in the Seu Vella.
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church in Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
(Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) dating from the late 12th century, with Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
additions from the 15th century. The initial architects of the church were Pere de Coma
Pere de Coma
Pere de Coma was a medieval architect who died in the 13th century, the introducer of Romanesque in the Catalan city of Lleida.His background is nowadays unknown. However, it was been suggested by scholars such as Roca Florejachs that his origins lay in Lombardy, while other scholars hint at...
, the master of works who in charge of La Seu Vella
La Seu Vella
The Cathedral of St. Mary of La Seu Vella is the former cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida, in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, located on top of Lleida hill....
, the old cathedral of Lleida. It has a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and two aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s, built with the same height, and three apses; the nave is in the Romanesque style, whereas the aisles are Gothic, as is the octagonal bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
. In 2002 part of the church was refurbished.
Works of art
It contains four imposing altarpieces: Saint Lawrence, Saint UrsulaSaint Ursula
Saint Ursula is a British Christian saint. Her feast day in the extraordinary form calendar of the Catholic Church is October 21...
(attributed to Jaume Cascalls
Jaume Cascalls
Jaume Cascalls was a Catalan sculptor, born in Berga. He was a representant of the Catalan school of Gothic sculpture. He was married to the daughter of painter Ferrer Bassa, with whom he had a profitable work relationship....
), Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and Saint Lucy
Saint Lucy
Saint Lucy , also known as Saint Lucia, was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December; with a name derived from lux, lucis "light", she is the patron saint of those who are...
. One of the two entrances, on Plaça de Sant Josep, can be seen the family crest of Berenguer de Gallart. The church has been Lleida's episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
twice during its existence. Among the works of art inside Sant Llorenç there are a Gothic painting of Santa Maria de la Candelera by Mateu Ferrer and the sculpture of the Mare de Déu dels Fillols, originally located in the Seu Vella.