Church of Sant Llorenç

Date: Twelfth century, with extensions from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; retables ca. 1390
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country): Spain
Description: The church dedicated to St. Lawrence in Lleida (Catalonia) was first built in the second half of the twelfth century and then expanded into a triple-nave church in the first half of the fourteenth century. Its distinctive octagonal bell tower was added in the early fifteenth century.

Inside the church are four limestone altarpieces dedicated to different saints: Llorenç, Úrsula, Pere, and Llúcia (Lawrence, Ursula, Peter, and Lucia/Lucy). These altarpieces represent a new form that appeared in northern Spain during the second half of the fourteenth century, one that combined the retable with the tabernacle (the container for the eucharistic bread).

The main altarpiece, dedicated to Lawrence, is the work of Bartomeu de Robió i Lleida and his workshop (as are the altarpieces dedicated to Peter and Lucia). It depicts scenes from Lawrence's life, including his conversion of a Roman guard after his arrest, his martyrdom on a gridiron, and his burial.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s): 10
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons, Album/Alamy Stock Photo

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Church of Sant Llorenç, retable of St. Lawrence, detail Church of Sant Llorenç, retable of St. Lawrence, detail Church of Sant Llorenç, retable of St. Lawrence Church of Sant Llorenç, retable of St. Lawrence Church of Sant Llorenç, interior with retable of St. Lucia on the right Church of Sant Llorenç, interior with retable of St. Ursula on the right Church of Sant Llorenç, retable of St. Ursula