Inside the "Santuari de Meritxell" (Sanctuary of Meritxell) is small
desk, where visitors can write down their impressions of the sanctuary in a
simple guestbook.
"Sanctuary of Meritxell
A space for reflection and devotion. A walk through the Sanctuary
will allow you to discover the contrast between tradition and modernity, so
defining for the people of Andorra. You will also get to know its patron
saint, Meritxell, the image of the Virgin Mary found in the 13th century
where the old church still stands.
Meritxell epitomizes the story of the Andorran people’s devotion to
their patron saint, Our Lady of Meritxell. The old chapel dedicated to the
Virgin Mary burnt down in 1972, along with the image of the Mother of God.
The new Sanctuary, inaugurated in 1976, was commissioned to Ricard Bofill.
The old Romanesque church was rebuilt in 1994 and transformed into a space
for the collective memory of the people of Andorra.
Since the year 2014, the Sanctuary is part of the Marian Route, a
cultural and religious itinerary across the main Marian temples of France,
Spain and Andorra: El Pilar, Torreciudad, Lourdes, Meritxell and
Montserrat."
Source:
museus.ad/en/monumentos/sanctuary-of-meritxell
"Santuary of Meritxell
The Santuari de Meritxell is located in Meritxell, a district of the
Andorran municipality of Canillo. In the minor basilica, Mary is venerated
as the Virgin of Meritxell and patron saint of the Principality of Andorra.
The building complex is on the list of cultural monuments in Canillo.
History
According to legend, in the 12th century, a shepherd found a statue
of the Madonna under a blooming rose on a winter day and took it home with
him. However, the statue returned three times to the same spot where he
found it. Eventually the local residents decided to build a chapel there and
placed the painted statue in an altar niche.
In 1873 the General Council of the Valleys declared the state's
patronage of the chapel. On September 8, 1921, the feast of the Nativity of
the Virgin Mary, the statue of the Virgin Mary was crowned. Since then, the
day of Nostra Senyora de Meritxell has been celebrated as a national holiday
of the Principality of Andorra.
The original chapel was built in the Romanesque style and was
completely renovated in the 17th century. In 1972, the shrine caught fire on
the night after the national holiday and was completely devastated. The
Romanesque carving of the Virgin, the oldest in the principality, was
destroyed in the fire along with the interior decoration. Today you can see
an exhibition about the history of the place in the restored part of the
building.
Church building
The construction of a new sanctuary was carried out to the south by
the Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill from September 8, 1974. The much larger
building with the building materials glass, copper and natural stone forms a
mixture of elements such as the Romanesque arches and an Islamic-inspired
fountain. It forms an axis across the 'concave amphitheater, the giant
steps, the bridge over the street, the towers, the Romanesque arches, the
promenade, the convex theater, the bubbling fountain and the sculpted
colonnade.' One goal was to merge the church with the surrounding landscape.
The new building was consecrated on September 8, 1976. A replica of the
Romanesque Madonna is shown inside.
The shrine was elevated to a minor basilica by Pope Francis on May
13, 2014, celebrating exactly one hundred years after the papal declaration
of the Virgin of Meritxell as the patron saint of the valleys of Andorra in
the time of St. Pius X."
Translated from source: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuari_de_Meritxell