SANTA MARGARIDA DE BIANYA CHURCH
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A church that has retained much of its original architecture dating back to the 12th century
The first official mention of the church is found in a document dated 858, in which Count Guifré de Besalú offered the church to the monastery of Riudaura on the occasion of its consecration. Contested by many historians, it is difficult to regard the document as reliable, which is why the first attested mention of the existence of the church of Santa Margarida dates back to 1117, in the act of consecration of Sant Andreu de Socarrats. Under the protection of the monastery of Sant Joan les Fonts from the 13th century, it was annexed by the Crown in 1357. Like many buildings in the Garrotxa region, the church suffered extensive damage during the earthquakes of the 15th century, but has preserved much of its original 12th-century architecture. The element that best situates its construction in the Romanesque period is certainly the central apse, partially hidden by the sacristy built in place of the east apse (the church had three), and its Gothic image of Santa Margarida, installed just below the central window. The west facade features a neoclassical doorway, in addition to the remains of a doorway, probably Romanesque, that was once built into the south facade. The bell tower, with its four-sided roof decorated with a cordon that repeats in the lower part of the base, is built on the west facade, where the neoclassical 19th-century portal is located.
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