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PARISH CHURCH
The 11th century Romanesque-style parish church, located in the centre of the town is a building that
visitors must see. It was declared a historic-artistic monument in 1976 and is a basilica-style temple with
three naves, which are separated by stone pillars in the form of a cross. The central nave is covered by a
barrel vault and the two side naves are covered by groin vaults.
nside the building, the most outstanding features are the chapel and altar of the Mare de Déu (Virgin) dels Colls,
by Josep Pujol and sons, which express all of the power of the latter period of Catalan Baroque art. According to
local tradition, this image was found when there was a Benedictine monastery near the site and the town grew up
in the shadow of that building. The same sources say that it cost 2,500 pounds to build and that its
construction took ten years.
As well as one of the biggest and best conserved organs in Catalonia, the church also contains two 15th century Gothic
altarpieces. The altarpiece of Sant Esperit and that of Sant Miquel Arcàngel and Sant Joan Baptista
disappeared during the Spanish Civil War, but were returned to the bishopric of Solsona in 1996. In the same year, they were
subjected to restoration work, which ended in 1998, and put in their present place.
The cloister, which is located next to the church, dates from the 16th century. It was possibly
built on top of an earlier cloister whose colonnade is only conserved on two of its four sides. In the
centre of the cloister there is a large yew tree with three branches that represent the Holy Trinity.
The rooms that surround the cloister were originally used as workshops for the craftsmen who constructed the Colls chapel.
MUSEUM OF THE VALL DE LORD
The historic building, the Casa de la Mare de Déu (the Virgin Mary’s House), that houses this
museum, is located in Carrer Estret, next to the cloister. It exhibits different tools used by country folk,
fossils, Stone Age tools, scale models of the Colls altar and other interesting objects, including a model
of a loom for making drap piteu. This building had been the home of the Virgin Mary and was the official
seat of the brotherhood of Colls.
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