Romanesque wealth
Andorra is home to one of the most amazing concentrations of Romanesque churches in Europe, most of which belong to the so-called Early Romanesque or Lombard Romanesque style that developed from the 10th century onwards. At that time, Andorra was made up of small, scattered settlements with no apparent unity. In this context, the churches became the nerve center of these communities. Most of them were built on rocky promontories or close to passageways so that they could be seen by everyone. But the most visible element is of course the bell-tower, serving both as a visual and spiritual landmark and as a watchtower for communication between the hamlets. These towers bear the mark of the Lombard Romanesque via the Lombard band, a wall decoration consisting of vertical bands of low projection connected by small blind arcatures. Porches and sanctuaries serve as the first community meeting places. Generally speaking, these churches are characterized by a simple plan with a rectangular nave and an apse. In terms of decoration, this deeply spiritual art relies on a sobriety that emphasizes the simple and raw beauty of the local stone, without neglecting the pictorial and chromatic research that can be seen in the superb mural paintings of the apses. Among the most beautiful Andorran churches are: Santa Coloma and its bell tower with a circular base, Sant Joan de Caselles with its huge medieval necropolis, Sant Climent de Pal with its astonishing bell tower with geminated bays, and Sant Esteve de Juberri, whose apse, half-buried due to the constraints of the topography, illustrates the osmosis between architecture and environment. Over the centuries, most of these churches have been modified, while at the same time acquiring furniture and decorative elements of great wealth (baroque altarpieces, wrought iron doors and gates, etc.), thus demonstrating the progressive evolution of Andorran society. This rich religious heritage also includes very beautiful chapels with stone walls and slate roofs, also in the Romanesque style.
Andorran Traditions
As a coveted object, Andorra saw the development of fortified architecture in the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the remains of the Castle of Sant Vincenç, of which one tower and part of the enclosure can still be seen. The defensive tower of Torre dels Moros is another fine example, as are the loopholes in the porch of Sant Roma Les Bons, proving that churches could be made into fortresses. Other key elements of medieval Andorra are the bridges. One of the most beautiful is the Margineda Bridge with its 9-meter high horseshoe arch. If these buildings illustrate the history of the principality, it is its traditional architecture that carries its identity. Until the 20th century, Andorra was mainly composed of a rural habitat marked by mountain traditions, which are manifested in architecture by the use of dry stone. Available in abundance, dry stone is used according to an ancestral technique consisting of assembling stones in such a way as to hold them together without having to use mortar to seal them, thus allowing adaptation to the constraints of the terrain. The low stone walls of the terraces, the orris - a summer pasture delimited by a low wall and including a vaulted corbelled hut, a pen and a milking alley - and the bordes - rustic huts and houses - proudly bear this identity.. as well as the houses in the heart of the town, recognizable by their stone facades, assembled with lime mortar and punctuated by wooden windows, galleries and doors, and topped by a slate roof with two sloping sides to avoid snow accumulation. The silhouettes of these houses obviously vary according to the means of their owners. Casa Cristo is an example of a modest rural dwelling, while Casa Areny-Plandolit is a typical example of a manor house that evolved into a merchant's house, while Casa De La Vall is a superb example of a family manor. Finally, this overview of Andorran culture would not be complete without mentioning the "industrial" heritage, from the mills and sawmills of Cal Pal to the Rossell Forge fed by the Llorts Mine.
Contemporary effervescence
In 1913, the principality built its first road... the beginning of an unprecedented development for the one that quickly became a popular tourist destination. The witnesses of this incredible development were then adorned with the finery of granite architecture. Inspired by the Catalan Noucentisme which advocates order, clarity, measure and rationality, this architecture operates a synthesis between formal novelty and attachment to the tradition of stone architecture. Granite became the main decorative element of the façades, which were decorated with different shapes of cut stone, the most common being the honeycomb. Among the most amazing achievements of this style are the Hotel Valira, the FHASA hydroelectric plant, the Radio Andorra station and the Collegi Meritxell, all symbols of Andorran prosperity. In the 60s and 70s, Andorra suffered from the throes of real estate speculation and was equipped with buildings that were quite "forgettable". However, a few projects stood out, such as the new sanctuary in Meritxell designed by Riccardo Bofill, who proposed a very personal interpretation of Romanesque art, particularly in the large bell tower and the cloister with its superb arches opening onto the world. Another flagship project in Andorra is the Caldea thermal complex designed by Jean-Michel Ruols. Its 80-meter glass tower is a nod to the Romanesque bell towers. With dynamic shapes inspired by mountainous reliefs, and the omnipresence of glass referring to the crystalline water of the springs, the complex aims to be a link between nature and modernity... a synthesis that can be found in the new seat of Parliament, whose facade alternates between glass surfaces and local stone. Many other projects are underway, but today Andorra is more than ever concerned with preserving the identity and beauty of its territory.
