Església de Sant Martí de la Cortinada, Romanesque Catholic church in La Cortinada, Andorra.
Església de Sant Martí de la Cortinada is a Romanesque church in La Cortinada, Ordino, enlarged northward over time into a single nave of almost square plan with side chapels and a quadrangular apse. The successive works moved the head of the church, so the original Romanesque apse now stands to the right of the present entrance. Its two-storey bell tower rises at the foot of the primitive nave.
The building was first constructed in the 12th century and later expanded and remodeled during the 17th and 18th centuries. These changes shifted its orientation and altered the overall arrangement of its interior spaces.
The 1968 restoration uncovered Romanesque wall paintings in the apse, dated to the late 12th century. Among the figures are a fantastic wolf-like animal with a forked tongue and a man named Guillem Guifré holding a knife and a cup, alongside Saint Martin, bishop of Tours.
The church opens for guided tours from mid-July through mid-September, with the Andorra Tourist Bus route 6 passing nearby for convenient access. Plan your visit for the summer season since the building is not regularly open at other times.
The original church key was kept until it was stolen in the mid-20th century; a replica measuring 25 cm by 10.3 cm now stands in its place. The bell tower sits at the foot of the nave, an arrangement uncommon in Andorran Romanesque churches.
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