Site: Church of Mare de Déu del Merli (Alguaire, el Segrià).
Campaigns: 2021 to present.
Direction: Maria Soler, Walter Alegría, Marta Sancho.
Coordinates: 298844, 4623595 (UTM31N – ETRS89)
Location and initial situation:
The church of Mare de Déu del Merli is located in the middle of the town of Alguaire. Its incorporation into the project is justified by the fact that it was built by the prioress and promoter of the Saint John convent in a chronology very close to that of the foundation of the monastery. The archaeological study of the building will allow us to reinforce the analysis of the connections of the convent with its patrimonial domain space, and will allow us to observe the constructive parallels that, saving the distances, maintain both buildings.
Brief history:
We know little about the historical trajectory of this church, which some authors consider to be built on the remains of an earlier Visigothic temple. As has been said, the promoter was the Marquesa de Cervera, the founder and first prioress of the Saint John monastery, who shortly before her death had it built at the foot of the convent. We know that at the end of the 13th century the church was already fully operational. From that time until its incorporation into the episcopal jurisdiction in the mid-19th century, the sanctuary had a hermit in charge of the nuns, who was responsible for the conservation and proper functioning of the building.
Current appearance of the church of Mare de Déu del Merli is very different from the one it had in the Middle Ages. Although there is no written documentation to prove it, it is possible that its original structures suffered, as did the Saint John monastery, the devastating effects of the Reapers’ War. Be that as it may, in the middle of the 18th century the building was reformed, enlarged and modified in accordance with the Baroque style. The construction of the current façade and the change of orientation of the church itself date from that time, with a new presbytery in the place occupied until then by the old entrance door.
Archaeological interventions:
The building has never been subject to archaeological interventions. Between 2010 and 2014, structural rehabilitation and restoration works were carried out, directed by the architect Joan Gil Puertas and the technical architect Glòria Aldavert Tomas, from the Municipal Technical Services. The works were financed by the City Council, the Diputació de Lleida and the Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs, and it consisted interior damp cleaning, exterior drainage, structural reinforcement of the buttress and restoration of the main facade.
Given the interest and connection of the church of Mare de Déu del Merli with the network of relations of the monastery of Santa Maria de Alguaire, our research project foresees the realization of a process of photographic documentation and stratigraphic reading of its walls with the aim of contributing to the knowledge of its evolution from its origins to date.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
FITÉ I LLEVOT, Francesc: “El Santuari de Santa Maria del Merli, de la vila d’Alguaire: Anàlisi artística del temple del segle XIII”, El Santuari de la Mare de Déu del Merli. Alguaire, Ajuntament d’Alguaire, 2011, p. 13-25.
LLADONOSA, Josep: Història de la Vila d’Alguaire i el seu Monestir Santjoanista. Lleida, Gràfiques Larrosa, 2007.
MIRET I SANS, Joaquim: Notícia històrica del monestir d’Alguayre. Barcelona, Tipografia l’Avenç, 1989.
