Sant Sepulcre de Palera

Halfway between the path of Besalú and Beuda there is a path to the right which leads us to the Sant Sepulcre de Palera, an old Romanesque monastery dating from the 11th century, located in the middle of the Palera woods. Only a church and three naves are still preserved. Although the Sant Sepulcre de Palera dates back to the year 1075, it was consecrated in 1085 by the bishop of Girona, Berenguer Guifré. According to the consecration act, the priory of Palera had the same privileges as those who visited theHoly Land, a fact which turned the monastery into a highly visited place for worshipping and pilgrimage. Most of the architectural vestiges of the monastic complex of Palera are preserved and one of the most important ones is its Romanesque church. It is located on the north side of the complex and it has three naves and a semi-circular apse. The width of the apses is gradual, except on the sides, where the distance is shorter and they can only be appreciated in elevation. The central nave is covered with a barrel vault, as well as half-barrel vaults on the sides. The church stands out for its simplicity, with only a few double-sided windows at the bottom of each apse and another window on the noon façade, which is blocked. The Romanesque church has a simple façade onto which there is only a belfry with two openings. Today, the atrium, demolished in 1962 due to a bad restoration, can still be appreciated, preceding the church. At the back there are three apses. The church of Sant Sepulcre de Palera is an example of an extremely simple architecture with a low prevalence in the Catalan architecture of the 11th century. Together with Sant Feliu de Beuda and SantaMaria de Vilabertran, the church is considered as an example of the transition between Lombard architecture and the architecture of the 12th century, for its simplicity, its volumes and the technological refinement of its faces.