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Origin and history

The Church of St Mary of Domanova, also called Our Lady of Domanova, is a Romanesque building located in Rodès, in the Eastern Pyrenees. Its origin dates back to the 13th century, although the toponym Domanova was attested as early as 942. The first written records of the church date from 1293. According to local legend, its construction is linked to the miraculous discovery of a statue of the Virgin by a lost lamb, a typical account of medieval traditions of foundation.

In the 16th century, the church was burned in 1580 by Protestants, who also killed the hermit resident. This event marked a turning point: the nave, initially vaulted, was covered with a structure after the collapse of its vault, and the adjacent hermitage developed to the south. The ensemble was restored and modified, incorporating elements such as a three arched porch in the middle, a room for pilgrims, and a bell tower with three pyramidions.

The building, which successively served as a parish church and later as a hermitage, was listed as a historical monument on 23 February 1994. This protection covers the church itself, its gallery, as well as the facades and roofs of the hermitage. The architecture combines Romanesque features (single nave, semicircular choir) and posterior additions, such as the podium in the nave or northern lateral chapel.

Historical sources emphasize its role in local devotion, especially around Marian worship. The work of Noël Bailbé and Géraldine Mallet on the Romanesque churches of Roussillon, as well as the archives of Catalunya Romanica, document its heritage importance. Today, the site remains owned by the municipality of Rodès, although its current access and uses (visits, accommodation) are not specified in the available sources.

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