Architecture

The great specialist in agroindustrial construction in Catalonia, Cèsar Martinell, made his "debut" in Rocafort de Queralt in 1918. The final result, full of innovations and architectural daring, was a great platform for his career.

The winery of Roquefort that we see today is the result of three projects carried out between 1918 and 1947. During the first years, it consisted of a building with two parallel areas and a perpendicular third area which was used as an unloading bay and machine room. Later this was enlarged with two more areas, the modernisation of the machine room, and a new water tank to replace the original.

But without doubt, the most decisive contribution was the use, for the first time, of the Gaudinian parabolic arch as the main support of the structure of the building. The original idea was to have the traditional wooden roof truss as a support for the gabled roof, but the economic circumstances of the time led the architect to change his idea: with the First World War, the price of wood had multiplied five times.

With regard to the "aesthetic" aspect of the winery, the tiling work used in the arches of the doors and windows is particularly outstanding as is the ceramic tiled frieze that runs along the cornice of the building. The main façade of the winery is perfectly symmetrical and highlights the huge window made up of three elements, with rampant arches and round arches. The door consists of a round voussoired arch which, in its time, was the support for the large window. This composition is repeated on the facade of the three areas.

This has to be one of the most beautiful works by the architect Cèsar Martinell. The winery of the Agricultural Union of Saint Isidre of Nulles, on the outskirts of the town, was the third commission in just one year for the most celebrated of the Catalan agricultural architects. With certain lines that remind us of Gothic art, the architecture of the Nulles winery is refined, monumental and elegant.

The structure of the building is slightly different from Martinell's previous works; the construction of Nulles comprises two areas measuring 21 by 18 metres without a separating wall between them. A slender, durable and lightweight "skeleton" that gives the feeling of vastness and allows one to create an open and orderly space. The winery has yet another space, a transversal nave with a simpler structure, based on metal trusses and a sheet metal roof.

The monumentality of the façade fully justifies the name of "wine cathedral". The double basilica area can clearly be seen thanks to its two identical, symmetrical fronts. It has a solid base of stone that runs along longitudinally, broken only by the two doors of each area. The portals outline a parabolic arch and protrude slightly to support the large windows situated above them (also parabolic arches and brickwork). The façade shows off the vertical brickwork pilasters, from the wall front up to the roof where the stepped finish form a symmetrical slope on both sides;  the blind arches and original corners of the façade made from brick pillars forming low relief are also outstanding.

Located in an area with a certain unevenness, topography that was favoured by Martinell for making the best use of space, the winery of Falset was built in 1919.

In this building, that evokes the shapes of a castle, we find one of the characteristics that define Modernista architecture and which continued to be used by the disciples of Gaudí and Domènech i Montaner: the recovery and free interpretation of Catalan medieval architectural forms.

The winery consists of two perpendicular buildings, responding to the division of working spaces: the unloading bay and the machine rooms are in the smallest building, and the vats and presses are in the larger one.

But the difference in Falset is the absence of the parabolic arc. The sloping roof is supported by the classic wooden roof trusses which, in turn, rest on brick pillars together with side arches. On the central structure of the winery of Falset we can see 9 highly stylised vertical windows crowned with a large relieving arch which stands on four brick pilasters that reach the ground. Of the three gateways to the winery, the main one forms a round voussoir arch in the medieval style.

On both sides stand two square plan towers, with large vertical openings and corners finished with brickwork, which contrasts with the white of the rest of the wall and creates a beautiful balance of lines and colours. The last element worth noting is the water tank. Functional and artistic, the tank at the winery of Falset is circular and is supported by two crossed parabolic arches and four pilasters that surround it, all constructed in brickwork.

The cooperative winery of Espluga de Francolí was the first of its kind to be commissioned by a renowned architect. Pere Domènech i Roura, son of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, initiated the construction of the "signature wineries" or "wineries of the rich" with the design and direction of the works. Subsequently, Cèsar Martinell also worked at the Espluga Winery.  Erected in 1913, it was the first Modernista cooperative winery of Catalonia and of the rest of the Spanish State. Today, this centre, a pioneer of the most artistic and innovative the cooperative system houses the facilities of the Wine Museum.

The layout of the winery is similar to that of other contemporary buildings, comprising: three rectangular, parallel areas, individualised two-sided roofs and another nave placed at right angles to the others. In the structure of the winery we find all the Modernista genius. Pere Domènech designed a system of pillars in a cross that became ogival arches which make the role of the transverse and side arches of an area (solutions previously employed in medieval architecture). The areas, 44 by 12 metres, housed a total of 40, reinforced cement vats each with a capacity of 340 hectolitres, and several underground presses. The perpendicular area was slightly smaller (13 by 8 metres) and housed the entrance bay and machine room (with the latest presses of the time). As an annex to this nave, the winery also had a laboratory in order to control the production process more effectively.

The facade is equal for the three main areas. Historians talk about elements that recall the most genuine Catalan architecture: ogival arcades with small windows, brick pillars arranged vertically, triangular crowns and galleries of blind arches reminiscent of Lombard Romanesque. The materials used for the façade were crushed stone, rendering and brickwork. Another "aesthetic" element is the water tank. Located next to the unloading bay, it is a circular brick tower crowned by a conical roof decorated with classic Modernista mosaic.

In 1915, the winery of Espluga de Francolí occupied 1,311 square metres and had 160 members. Cèsar Martinell made an extension in 1929 by adding another area. In 1990 it was renovated and restored and, finally, in 1998 the Wine Museum was opened.

In the valley of Llobregat, next to the municipality of Cercs, stands the church of Sant Quirze de Pedret, one of the few tenth century buildings preserved in Catalonia and one of the best examples of pre-Romanesque architecture in the country. The temple formed part of the county of Berga and was under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Urgell.

It is a three-nave building. The central one corresponds to the original pre-Romanesque church (ninth century), while the naves in the lateral are the result of an enlargement (already Romanesque) of the 10th century. Additionally, the entrance way and bell tower were incorporated but partially collapsed in the 15th century, probably caused by an earthquake.

Sant Quirze de Pedret maintains genuine architectural elements that remind us of its more ancient past and that directly relate it with other pre-Romanesque Catalan buildings like, for example, the churches of Terrassa. These elements are the surpassing and horse shoe arches that we see in the temple's interior, the trapezoidal arch instead of semi-circular, red clay tables instead of slate.  These were the influences of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the Catalan counties.

The restoration of Sant Quirze de Pedret has wanted to recapture the aspect of the church in the tenth century. Following the journey through time, the original aspect of the roof has been restored; lime has been added to the walls and the pavement of the central nave has been covered with clay.

Despite the singularity of the building and its conservation, if there is an outstanding artistic aspect it is the temple's mural paintings, of two differentiated periods. In the central apse of the church of Pedret we see some of the most remote paintings of the Catalan Pyrenees. They date to the 10th century and feature three very defined characters: the psalmist is a man with a beard and tunic who prays with his arms extended, a horseman accompanied by numerous animals, and a cleric. The style and significance of these first paintings resemble Mediterranean Paleochristian works.

The series of Pedret dates to the 11th century and is attributed to the circle of the “Master of Pedret." It is in these pictures that we find the most complex symbolism of the church. Originally situated in the apses of the lateral naves, we identify scenes from the apostolic college headed by Peter, the Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus, images of saints (Matthew), numerous Latin inscriptions and allusions to the idea of the Final Judgment.

There is, however, a curious scene painted on the walls of Sant Quirze called the “parable of virgins”, which dramatises the sobering chapter of the wise virgins and foolish virgins. The Diocesan and Regional Museum of Solsona and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (National Museum of Art of Catalonia) guard the originals, whilst one can see faithful reproductions in the church.
 
Sant Quirze de Pedret is part of the ‘Romanesque weekend: from the Ripollès to Northern Catalonia’ getaway.

At the foot of the Canigó we find the monastery of Sant Miquel de Cuixà that was, along with Ripoll, a powerful religious, political and cultural centre during the Middle Ages.

The birth of the monastery dates to the year 879 and is the result of a disgrace. After a flood destroyed the abbey of Sant Andreu d’Eixalada, the surviving monks resided in a small monastery dedicated to Sant Germà and directed by Father Protasi. As a result of these facts and thanks to the protection of the counts of Cerdanya and Conflent, this small cell became the Monastery of Sant Miquel i Sant Germà de Cuixà, one of the most powerful of the era.

The tenth century marked the consolidation of the monastery: the lands, domains and churches that it depended on grew in a spectacular manner. In the year 956, Garí rebuilt the church of Sant Miquel erected only a few years earlier by Count Sunifred.

The arrival of the abbot Oliba, introducer of Romanesque Lombard style in Catalonia, was an architectural revolution of the monastery. Oliba erected two corridors, three small apses and erected a dome that was supported by pink marble columns and white marble capitals. He also built the circular Nativity Crypt or the Nativity Scene, the chapel of the Trinity and two Lombard bell towers at either side of the crossing (nowadays only one remains).

The cloister was constructed in the 12th century under the order of the abbot Gregori. Made with pink marble and a spectacular sculptural decoration, is one of the largest of the Catalan counties. Nowadays, to follow the tracks of some of these capitals, we have to travel to New York, to the museum called The Cloisters.

Sant Miquel de Cuixà has the honour of being considered the birthplace of the Catalan language. Possibly, the workshop in Cuixà released the celebrated Cançó de Santa Fe (Song of Santa Fe), a hagiographic poem that is considered one of the oldest literary examples in a Romance language, although it is discussed whether it deals with the Occitan or Catalan language.
Amongst the many illustrious names linked to Sant Miquel de Cuixà we find the architect and archaeologist Josep Puig i Cadafalch, in charge of the restoration campaigns for the monastery made in 1938.  Additionally, there is the musician Pau Casals who started the Festival de Música Clàssica de Prada (Prada Classical Music Festival)in 1954.

The Monastery of Sant Miquel de Cuixà is part of the ‘Romanesque weekend: from the Ripollès to Northern Catalonia’ getaway.




Author of the photographs: Josep Renalias.