St Martin's Church, Puig-reig facts for kids
St. Martin's Church (also known as Catalan: Sant Martí de Puig-reig) is a very old church in Puig-reig, Spain. It was built in the 12th century, which means it's over 800 years old! This church is a great example of Romanesque architecture, a style of building popular in Europe a long time ago. You can find it close to the modern church and where the old Puig-reig Castle used to be.
What Does St. Martin's Church Look Like?
Outside the Church
The church is built with large stone blocks of different sizes. Its walls are very thick and strong, supported by special parts called buttresses. These buttresses help the walls stand tall and keep the building stable.
The outside of the church is quite simple. It doesn't have many fancy decorations, except for the front wall, which faces west. On top of this west wall, there's a bell-gable. This is like a small wall with two openings where bells would hang. Below the bell-gable is the main entrance. The doorway has a simple design with three arches, called an archivolt. These arches are supported by four columns with decorative tops, known as capitals.
Inside the Church
When you go inside St. Martin's Church, you'll see it has one main open space, called a nave. The ceiling of the nave is shaped like a half-cylinder, which is called a barrel vault. At the very end of the church, there's a semicircular area called an apse. This apse is also vaulted and is separated from the main nave by a large arch, known as a triumphal arch.
At the back of the apse, there's a single, narrow window. The arch over this window is made of wedge-shaped stones called voussoirs. One of the most special things about the inside of St. Martin's Church is that it still has some of its original Romanesque paintings on the walls! These murals are very old and give us a peek into the art from the 12th century.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de San Martín (Puigreig) para niños
