MONASTERY OF SAINT ESTEVE

Sant Esteve Monastery, declared Cultural welfare of National interest in 1973, is the starting point for the founding of the city of Banyoles: even though its construction is probably earlier, the first documents to refer to it date back to the year 822. The Benedictine monks are at the origin of its construction, on the remains of a Romanesque church, some of which still lie in the basement of the site. Sant Esteve Monastery was considered the first Benedictine monastic Building in Catalonia, sponsored by Abbot Bonitus, who was the feudal lord and feudal lord of Banyoles. The history of the site is riddled with péripéties. Parties were destroyed and reconstructed several times: For example, the church was demolished in the middle of the 50 th century to reconstruct years later, even history for the Romanesque monastery in the next century, then earthquakes affected the structure of the building, killing the bell, as well as the cloister and part of the temple in the middle of the th century. Today, the whole is neoclassical style (1702-1740), with its church, cloister and the outbuildings surrounding it.

The church has a central nave with three apses covered with a canon, and the steeple is crowned with a dome. The facade, built from travertine stones (the local stone) is particularly impressive with its Gothic door with side pinnacles. The latter also gives the scholars a great deal of trouble: on both sides of the door are two "C" in relief, probably dating back to 1530, when the Cenobites de restaurèrent the temple. Several assumptions on the meaning of these two "C" were issued: they can refer to King Carolus Calvus, be the initials of Joan de Cartellà (monk and vicar general), or a capricious decoration… Even today, the mystery remains intact. Several chapels, surmounted by oval arches and covered with wall vaults, complement the whole.

The cloister. In the Benedictine order, the cloister was an essential element: besides serving as a room distributor, it served as a place of conversation, walks and various celebrations. In neo-classical style, it has a 48-storey irregular square, consisting of full-coat arcades based on striped columns on their upper side. The capitals are sculpted with patterns of bordeaux leaves, flowers and heads of angels. The centre of the inner courtyard is a well and, along with the east wing, flows one of these typical canals of Banyoles. South side, vestiges of the medieval abbey and the gardens of the abbot are preserved.