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SAN MIGUEL CHURCH

28 septiembre, 2008 0 Comments

The first church of the quartó of Balansat was a simple chapel that was probably already built in XVI century. In fact, though, as it can be seen nowadays, the church is an architectonical complex, relatively big which was built in stages.

At the end of the XVII century, it was enlarged with two fonda chapels which give it the typical cruciform ground plan. They are facing each-other, next to the presbytery. The one located at the South is the Benirràs chapel and we know that it was finished in 1690. At first, it was dedicated to the Blessed Name of Jesus (Jesus Saviour of Men), thus the corresponding abbreviation (JHS) make up the central anagram of its decoration, basically floral; it is known as well as the Painted Chapel.

Before that, at the end of XVI century, the fraternity of the Blessed Name of Jesus had been founded, and it soon got a relative importance; this is why, at first, this new chapel was given such dedication. The names of the most important people of that period, Rector Bartomeu Orvai and the labourers Antoni Planells Jurat and Bartomeu Celleràs are represented in the paintings of the Benirràs chapel. The Rubió Chapel, another real fonda chapel, is opposite the Benirràs chapel, on the north side. The historical texts tell that in 1691, when the first one had already been built, the bishop Josep Mora, when visiting the church, deemed it fit to build a similar one, at first dedicated to the Virgin.
In 1785, the temple ceased to be a vicarage to become the Saint Michael Archangel parish.

The building stands out for the pointed vault that covers the nave. At its sides, there are several chapels rather little. The rector’s house is on the nave, with access through stairs that start under the arcade. Its present steeple is from XIX century and it simulates a kind of pavilion, replacing the former one. The whole parish buildings can be considered monumental, with its nave’s high and oblique walls which have a fortified aspect. The court yard is surrounded of buildings and paved with flagstones; access to the court yard is on the south side, through a set of three arches. The cemetery is on the outside, leaning against the north side of the nave.