The parish of Santa Maria de Ribera was already mentioned in the act consecrating the cathedral of Urgell, in 839. The consecration of the church of Santa Maria de Ribera took place in 1145. Its suffragans were the parishes of Santa Coloma de Surri and Sant Martí de Cassibrós.

The church was originally Romanesque in style, but was modified and extended in the 18th century. The facade conserves the central part of the old building and its porch has an archvault and saw-tooth fieze, above three broken arches, also with saw-tooth frieze, and a straight frieze above a chequer board with a large rose window opening in its centre. The modified apse is painted white and conserves its north facing apse, which is decorated with arches mounted on corbels. It is important to highlight the magnificent bell tower, which has a square floor plan and three floors. It is reminiscent of those found in the Vall de Boí and its different tiers are separated by a line of arcades and a saw-tooth frieze. There are double windows on the upper tier and an inter-crossed frieze at the very highest point. The tower has a pyram-shaped roof.