Santa Maria de Pineda Church

Santa Maria de Pineda Church

The church of Santa Maria de Pineda is a 16th century church. The first documented data is the act of consecration carried out in 1079 by the bishop of Girona, Berenguer Guifré. In 1256 the church became dependent on the monastery of San Salvador de Breda and the parish of Sant Pere de Riu was its suffragan.

In 1545, this Romanesque church was replaced by a new temple, after the terrible plundering by the corsair Dragut. From the documents that are conserved, we know that the sacristy was commissioned in 1514 to Miguel de La Gaspi. A chapel, a tomb and the vault of the heart were built by the master of works Nicolau Bastart in 1526. Jean de Tours oversaw the fortification works in 1545, which continued in 1553. It was that same year when they hired Bernat Vidal for the construction of a chapel under the old bell tower and in 1567 they gave to Pere Garriga the construction of the chapel of San Juan Bautista. Between 1504 and 1509, the main altarpiece was painted, and it was done by Gabriel Bou de Girona, and the carpentry was executed by Josep Sayós, from Barcelona more than a century later. From this gothic work, the keystones are sculpted with images of the Virgin and several saints. There is also an inscription on the lintel of the front door that reports the facts of 1545.

During the eighteenth century two lateral naves were added and the octagonal bell tower in the central nave. In this same century the façade (baroque) was made and probably decorated with sgraffito by the end of the century. In 1936, the temple was burned.

The architect, Isidre Puig i Boada, made the façade in 1948, and was inspired by geometrical and baroque motifs. They were restored from the same moulds in 1988. From the interior of the building, the dome of the Santíssim chapel, decorated by Josep Perpiñà, has three rosettes with stained glass, by the hands of Domènec Fita and finally an image of Mercy carved by Frederic Marès.