Church Sant Joan de Boí

The church Sant Joan de Boí is a Romance building located in the Vall of Boí in Catalogne. Like Sant Climent de Taüll, Santa Maria de Taüll, Santa Eulàlia d' Erill the Valley or Sant Feliu de Barruera, it go back to a wave of construction in the valley in XIe century.

Dedicated to Holy Jean-Baptiste, the building is located under the rock where formerly the castle of Boí was drawn up. It is composed of three naves separated by arcades, to which three correspond Abside S in half dome to the bedside. The central apse underwent modifications with XVIIe and XVIIIe centuries, at the time of the enlarging of the place of the village. The roof as a batière is made of a covered timber structure of slates. In the south a Romance bell-tower of XIIe century, decorated with blind arcades lombardes is. Only the first two stages are of origin. Third was rebuilt at a later date.

Sant Joan is rightly famous for its Romance paintings. The majority of paintings “were torn off” in 1919 by means of a technique known under the name of “strappo”, because it was feared that these paintings - as much of others in the Spanish Pyrenees - are not sold and are dispatched abroad. The majority of the originals are preserved at the MNAC (Museu Nacional d' Art of Catalunya) with Barcelona. Some are with the Museum diocesan of Lérida. At the time of the last restoration of the building (1997-1998), one carried out of them copies which were placed in the church on their site of origin. The experts base themselves on the architecture of the building and a comparison with paintings of Taüll to make go up interior paintings around 1100. Those of the northern gate would be later. The study of the pigments revealed that, contrary to Taüll, where imported pigments were used, one employed in Sant Joan only local pigments mixed with clay. The northern gate of the church is decorated of a fresco which represents a Théophanie. Inside is an important whole of paintings, among which the lapidation of Etienne Saint, the “Juglars” (jugglers) or of the figures of the Bestiaire medieval painted with the under-surface of the arches and a curious figure of crippled man. Still let us mention the dragon with seven heads which represents the Evil. It is to be noticed that the colors of the copies are much more sharp that those of the originals preserved at Barcelona.

Just as eight other churches of the Valley of Boí, Sant Joan is registered on the Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO since November 2000.

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