Spain - The Portal of Ripoll Monastery

The Portal of Ripoll Monastery, built in the 12th century, is a masterpiece of Romanesque art, a grand and majestic triumphal arch that leads to the Church of Santa Maria. It is a unique piece that has been dubbed the "Stone Bible", and is considered an undisputed landmark in Catalan Romanesque art and a banner of monastic culture rooted in biblical theology. The Portal of Ripoll Monastery is the most important monumental Romanesque sculpture in Catalonia and one of the most impressive art ensembles in the world. The Portal of Ripoll Monastery is located on the main façade of the Church of Santa Maria, below the twin towers built by Abbot Bishop Oliba for the consecration of the church of the year 1032, under a porch, which was built after the Portal, between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. One of the towers collapsed during the Candlemas Day earthquake in 1428. The Portal is a clearly autonomous element of the facade. It is a U-shaped body, with a very elongated base attached to the wall of the facade. Some traces of polychromy - two small orange / red borders - behind the gate block, prove that it was placed on an old entrance door to the central nave of Abbot Bishop Oliba's church. Perhaps these paintings were part of the old decoration of the entrance to the church.