Church of San Xoán, Portomarín facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of San Xoán |
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Igrexa de San Xoán de Malta
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Church |
| Location | |
| Location | Portomarín, Galicia, Spain |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
Imagine a church that's also a castle! The Church of San Xoán (also known as Saint John) in Portomarín, Galicia, Spain, is exactly that. It was built by the Order of St John of Jerusalem. This group was a special order of knights who helped pilgrims and defended important routes.
Contents
A Church That's Also a Castle
This church is quite special because it looks like both a church and a castle. It was built in the Late Romanesque style. This means it has features from both types of buildings.
Church Features
As a church, it has a main hall called a nave. This nave has a rounded ceiling, known as a barrel vault. There's also a semicircular area at the end called an apse. You can see many typical Romanesque decorations here. These include a beautiful carved entrance with curved arches, called archivolts. There are also round windows, known as rose windows, and carved designs on the tops of columns, called capitals.
Castle Features
But this building is also a fortress! Its outer walls have special tooth-like tops called merlons. These were used for defense. The church also has four defense towers, one at each corner. Behind the church, there's a defensive walkway called an adarve. In 2011, a stork's nest with two young storks was seen on the northwest tower!
Moving the Church
Did you know this church wasn't always in this exact spot? In the 1960s, the river nearby was flooded to create a reservoir. To save the church, it was carefully taken apart stone by stone. Then, it was rebuilt in its current, higher location.
Protecting the Way of St. James
The Church of San Xoán is located on the main path of the Way of St. James. This famous route leads to Santiago de Compostela. Many people walk this path as a pilgrimage.
Why It Was Important
The Templar and Knight Hospitaller orders built churches and castles along this route. They wanted to protect the pilgrims traveling to the tomb of Santiago. The Church of San Xoán was one of these important protective buildings. Other examples include the churches of Torres del Río and Eunate, and the Castle of Ponferrada.
Images for kids
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View from the apse.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de San Juan (Puertomarín) para niños
