Revitalisation of the Church of Sant Esteve near Barcelona

Located on a small plateau in the municipality of Marganell, the church is surrounded by an idyllic natural landscape. The building has seen a lot over the years. In addition to renovations and extensions, it has suffered multiple instances of damage, the most significant one occurred during the Spanish Civil War on 21 July 1936. On that day, the church and the rectory were burned down. Since then, the Romanesque building has been abandoned and left without a roof. Santamaria Arquitectes took on the historic building and, through a few interventions, structurally consolidated and sensitively revitalised the church. 

Cross-section of the church of Sant Esteve, Graphic © Santamaria arquitectes

In order to make the interior suitable for cultural and religious events, the architects first cleaned the vertical walls, removed plant elements and replaced damaged wall coverings. Above the nave, a new addition that does not alter the external appearance has been installed: a transparent glass roof at a height of around 5 m. This combines a metal structure with a free-standing profile and beams that are embedded in the original stone walls. In the apse area, the metal profiles form a semicircle that adapts to the curvature of the walls. This is a robust yet elegant solution that stands out from the original structure and blends in with it harmoniously. The floor coverings are made of natural materials: sand lies beneath the overhang of the large transparent roof, and very fine pebbles cover all other areas. A geotextile membrane lies beneath the soft floor coverings. This structure will enable archaeological work to continue in the future. 

The new glass roof sits above the nave. © Judith Casas 

At the start of the project, the 15.7 m high bell tower had a square floor plan and was empty. Due to a fire in the church during the Civil War, this part of the building had been inaccessible until now. Santamaria Arquitectes restored access and installed a metal staircase inside the tower. This staircase leads visitors to a viewing point at the top, offering an unobstructed view of the surrounding area and Montserrat Mountain. The slatted floors of the open steps are not for the faint-hearted. However, they provide an unobstructed view of the tower's interior and follow the preserved building structure. 

There is also a viewing point for visitors at the top. © Judith Casas

Through this revitalisation project, Santamaria Arquitectes has demonstrated how contemporary architecture can be carefully integrated into a historic building. Only a few targeted interventions preserve the historic fabric of the building while meeting new usage requirements. The chosen measures and materials blend seamlessly into the existing structure, preserving the Romanesque building's authenticity.