The heart of the land
- Santa Coloma -

This is the site of one of the most representative and widely known pre-Romanesque and Romanesque churches of Andorra:
  • The church of Santa Coloma: it is one of the most well-known and representative of pre-Romanesque and Romanesque Andorra. The building was originally constructed in the 9th century but now all that remains from that period is the apse and the nave. In the 12th century, the apse and the triumphal arch were decorated with wall paintings; sorne pictorial traces are still visible.
iglesia.BMP (275382 bytes)

Church of Santa Coloma

Most of these paintings are kept in the Prussian State Museum of Culture in Berlin. During the 12th century, a Romanesque Lombard belfry was added to the church, a most unusual one on account of its circular shape. It is not known exactly when the porch was added but definitely around the 15th century. lnside, there is a Baroque altarpiece from the 18th Century dedicated to the patron saint.
lf you now continue along the main road toward Sant Julià de Lòria you come to:
  • The Margineda bridge: this bridge dates from medieval times.
  • The sculpture "Commemoration of the 1st Congress of the Catalan Language and Literature", made by the Valencian sculptor V. Alfaro.
puente.BMP (351670 bytes)

La Margineda brigde

Other points of interest include:
  • The sculpture "Robot in suspension": it stands at Prada Casadet and was made by the Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck.
  • The central sculpture of Prada Casadet by the artist Josep Subirà Puig.
  • A sculpture by the riverside at Prada Casadet by the artist Albert Feraud.
  • The sculpture "Hornage to Andorra" by the Japanese artist Toshimitsu lrnaï, in the exhibition hall of Andorra la Vella.
  • The Boundary eross at the crossing of Avinguda Meritxell and Carrer Bisbe Iglesias.
  • The sculpture "Andorra'92" at the same crossing by the Catalan sculptor Emili Armengol.
  • Sculptures by the Catalan artist F. Viladomat, in the gardens of the Casa de la Vall and at the crossing Baixada del Molí - Carrer Prat de la Creu.
  • The Romanesque church of Sant Andreu, up Carrer Bisbe Iglesias on the right, in Carrer de Sant Andreu.

The village feast of Andorra la Vella takes place on the first Saturday of August and the following Sunday and Monday.

  • Nature itinerary: you can take a pleasant walk along the Rec de Solà and the Rec de I'Obac.

    Another interesting walking circuit is the track from Perafita and Prat Primer that leads down through Entrernesaigües and Escaldes.
    lf you prefer to take a drive, an interesting itinerary is along the Comella road, which runs to Escaldes-Engordany.


GATEWAY TO ART