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 a long time ago. You can find it close to the newer church and where Puig-reig Castle used to be.
Outside the Church: What It Looks Like
The church is built with large stone blocks of different sizes. Its side walls are very thick and are held up by strong supports called buttresses. These buttresses help the walls stand tall and strong.
The outside of the church is quite simple. It doesn't have many fancy decorations, except for the west wall. On top of the west wall, there's a bell-gable. This is a special wall that holds two bells. Below the bells is the main door. This door has a simple design with three arches, called an archivolt. These arches are supported by four columns with decorated tops, known as capitals.
Inside the Church: What You See
When you go inside, you'll see that the church has one main room, called a nave. The ceiling of this room is shaped like a half-cylinder, which is known as a barrel vault. At the end of the nave, there's a rounded part called an apse.
The ceiling of the apse starts with a simple impost cornice, which is like a decorative ledge. A large arch, called a triumphal arch, separates the apse from the main nave. At the very back of the apse, there's a single narrow window. This window has a special arch made of wedge-shaped stones, called a voussoir arch. You can still see some of the church's original Romanesque paintings on the walls inside. These paintings are very old and tell stories from the past.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de San Martín (Puigreig) para niños
