SANTA COLOMA CHURCH
Church of composite architecture, featuring a 4-storey circular bell tower and altarpiece, as well as an old nave and apse
The church of Santa Coloma is certainly one of the most remarkable pre-Romanesque buildings in the principality. Its composite architecture is explained by the numerous modifications it has undergone during its long existence. The main part was built in the 12th century, but it seems that the apse dates back to the 10th century. It has a circular bell tower - unique in the country - whose four floors of windows have the particularity of having openings of increasing size as it rises to 18 meters. The nave and the apse are probably the oldest parts (their construction is estimated to date from the 8th to the 10th century).
The church was enlarged in 1150: the barrel vault of the apse, the porch on the south side and the bell tower date from this period. The capitals are surmounted by bulls carved in stone, a decorative detail that is also found in the church of Sant Miquel d'Engolasters. Above the Mozarabic arch leading to the apse, there are paintings representing the Agnus Dei and two angels, dating from the 12th century. Also worth seeing is the statue of the Virgin del Remei, a 60 cm high sculpture, as well as a baroque altarpiece dedicated to Saint Dove from 1741. The Romanesque paintings of the church are now kept in the Prussian Museum of Culture in Berlin. Finally, outside, a large wrought iron cross stands in the center of the area, which was once a cemetery.