Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Church of St.Colombe de Vià, mentioned in the 10th century as Avizano in the "Act of Consecration of the Cathedral of the Seu d'Urgell", is a Romanesque building located in the hamlet of Via in Font-Romeu. Although its origin dates back to at least the tenth century, the present building dates mainly from the thirteenth century. It is a testimony of Cerdanian Romanesque architecture, marked by Catalan influences.

The church houses a statuette of Saint Vincent, from the chapel of Saint Vincent of Portoles, now extinct. This chapel, reported in the thirteenth century, was a hostellerie located near the Ceretana strata, an ancient Roman way linking the sea to the Domitian way. This historical context underscores the importance of roads and places of worship in the region.

From the Romanesque building, there remains only part of the southern facade and its portal, characterized by an archvolt with two windows decorated with heads, balls and an oric arch. The gate is framed with columns with massive capitals, and a door with remarkable pentures. A raven with a human face, vestige of an old porch, overcomes the whole. These elements illustrate the know-how of the Romanesque artisans of the time.

The church was listed as historic monuments in 1964, recognizing its heritage value. It is part of a rich cultural landscape, marked by exchanges between Catalonia and Languedoc, and by the presence of Roman roads that have structured the territory since ancient times.

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