Sant Martí, Biure facts for kids
Sant Martí de Biure is a very old church in Catalonia, a region in northern Spain. It was built around the year 900. This church is a great example of Romanesque architecture, which was a popular style for buildings a long time ago.
Contents
History of the Church
Building a New Church
The church of Sant Martí de Biure was built over 1100 years ago! Around the year 900, people from a town called Biure (which was then known as Benevivere) moved to this area. They were helping to repopulate lands that Christian leaders, like the Counts of Barcelona, had recently taken back from the Moors.
A local leader named Guadamir encouraged them. So, on December 13, 903, a bishop named Nantigís from Urgell officially opened the church. It became the main church for its own local area, called a parish.
Changes Over Time
In 1044, the church was officially opened again by another bishop, Guillem Guifré. He confirmed that it was still an independent parish. For a while, from the late 1100s until the 1300s, it might have been a home for the Knights Templar. They were a famous group of knights from the Middle Ages.
Later, fewer people lived in Biure. Because of this, the church lost its status as an independent parish. It became part of the larger parish of Sant Andreu de Sagàs. Even so, a small side chapel and a sacristy (a room where priests prepare) were added to the church around this time.
Around 1890, the bishop of Vic, Josep Morgades, took a special wooden statue from the church. This statue was called a 'majestat', which was probably a crucifix (a cross with Jesus on it) where Jesus was wearing a robe. The bishop placed it in the Episcopal Museum of Vic. We don't know for sure if the statue is still there today.
The church was carefully repaired and made new again in the 1950s.
What the Church Looks Like
Sant Martí de Biure has one main rectangular room, called a nave. Its roof is made of stone and is shaped like a vault. At the northeastern end, there's a rounded part called an apse. There's also a small chapel attached to the northwestern side of the church.
Gallery
- Sant Martí de Biure
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See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Sant Martí de Biure para niños
