Donation to the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes 939 (≈ 939)
Village of Vilella sold by Sunifred II de Cerdagne.
969
First mention of the chapel
First mention of the chapel 969 (≈ 969)
Donation of land to Saint Michael Abbey of Cuxa.
1145
Passage under the priory of Serrabona
Passage under the priory of Serrabona 1145 (≈ 1145)
Change of religious possession.
Fin XIIe - début XIIIe siècle
Reconstruction of the current building
Reconstruction of the current building Fin XIIe - début XIIIe siècle (≈ 1325)
Romance style with archaic techniques.
XVIIe siècle
Abandoned from the chapel
Abandoned from the chapel XVIIe siècle (≈ 1750)
Transfer of furniture to the new church.
1892
Classification of two objects
Classification of two objects 1892 (≈ 1892)
Cross and 15th century altarpiece protected.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Sainte Eulalie de Barcelone - Dedication of the chapel
Christian Martyr of the fourth century.
Sunifred II de Cerdagne - Donor Count
Cede Vilella in 939 to Sant Pere de Rodes.
Ermessenda - Donor in 969
Land bequeath to the Abbey of Cuxa.
Origin and history
The Church of St. Eulalie of Villèle, also known as the Chapel of St. Eulalie of Vilella, is a Roman Catholic building located in Rigarda, in the Eastern Pyrenees. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century, it follows the canons of Romanesque architecture, with a single nave extended by a semicircular apse. Abandoned in the 17th century, it lost its furniture and portal, re-used in the new parish church of Rigarda. Its Catalan name, Vilella, evokes a "small farm", vestige of a medieval village today disappeared.
The chapel is dedicated to Saint Eulalie of Barcelona, martyrdom of the fourth century, often confused with Saint Eulalie of Merida. Its settlement suggests a continuous occupation from the Roman Empire, with traces going back to the Republic. Mentioned for the first time in 969 during a donation to St Michael's Abbey of Cuxa, she became the possession of the priory of Serrabona in 1145. Its modest architecture, in rubble and pebbles arranged sometimes in fish edges, reflects an archaic technique for the time.
The building consists of a narrow nave of 6.50 m high, illuminated by three windows with light marble cladding and dark stands. The bell tower-wall, with three pillars and two bays, overlooks the western wall. Empty from all furniture since the 17th century, however, the chapel retains an artistic heritage: a procession cross and a 15th century altarpiece, classified as historical monuments in 1892, now exhibited in the new church of Rigarda. These works combine the lives of the two Saints Eulalie.
The site, close to the ancient Roman way Strada Conflentana, illustrates the strategic importance of the Pyrenean valleys from ancient times. The village of Vilella, given in 939 to the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes by Count Sunifred II of Cerdagne, gradually disappeared, leaving only the chapel as a witness to its medieval past. Its abandonment in the seventeenth century marked the end of its parish role, replaced by the new church of the village capital.
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