Monastery of Santa Maria d’Amer
The Benedictine Monastery of Santa Maria d’Amer was consecrated in 949 by Bishop Gotmar, replacing the Monastery of Sant Medir, in the town of Sant Gregori. It amassed a substantial number of assets through donations and purchases, and the abbot became the feudal lord of the Amer Valley. Despite the damage caused by earthquakes in the 15th century (the cloister and part of the church collapsed) the monastery’s importance remained undiminished. It was here where the accord was signed in 1485 that brought the Catalan peasants’ revolt to an end, while in the 16th and 17th centuries three different abbots of Amer held the position of president of the mediaeval Generalitat (Government of Catalonia). The monastery was closed as a result of the ecclesiastical confiscations that began in 1835.
The most noteworthy Romanesque element of the complex is the church, which now serves as the parish church. It boasts four apses, with typical Lombard bands on their exterior. The main structure of the three naves and the base of the bell tower are also Romanesque. The remains of the cloister were located during excavations in 1989 and currently remain buried, while the monastic rooms are the result of alterations carried out subsequent to the earthquakes.
In the old quarter of Amer, which grew around the monastery and has been declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest, the original layout of streets and squares has been preserved, along with some noteworthy ancient buildings.