Art

If any kind of art can be claimed to predominate in Andorra, it is without a doubt the Romanesque style, in its primary manifestations of church and civil architecture, painting, and sculpture. Style refers to a time period during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, when, in the case of Andorra, a form of artistic inertia prolonged the production of Romanesque art at a time when other European countries had already proceeded to the Gothic style.

Andorra's Romanesque art is distinguished by the absence of massive groups of buildings. Most of the time, they are quite simple structures, such as churches, and the lack of any ornamental element is compensated for by the perfect mix of sobriety and beauty that they attain. Their main attraction is the Lombard-style bell towers, which can be cylindrical or square; the divided windows and blind arches, which can be found, for example, in the church at Santa Coloma.

In terms of pictorial and decorative art, there are eleven churches that have the remains of frescoes. These were painted by artists such as the "Master of Santa Coloma," whose work can be found in four of churches: Santa Coloma, Sant Miquel d'Engolasters, Sant Roma de les Bons, and Sant Cristofol d'Anyos, and the "Master of La Cortinada," whose work can be found in the Church of Sant Mart, in the village of La Cortinada. The influence of the great religious artists of this period, such as Taull, Pedret, and Urgell, can be seen in the paintings, and the compositions are generally similar, with topics such as St John's Vision of the Apocalypse or Christ in His Majesty being prevalent.