The Bell Tower Resting on a Cimbori

The architecture of Santa Eugènia de Berga invites a closer look at its unique vertical composition. Rather than growing directly from the ground, the bell tower rests upon a cimbori situated at the intersection of the nave and the transept. This cimbori supports the tower and features arquets llombards, sawtooth decorations, and windows on the north and south sides.

We should observe the three storeys of olive-colored stone that define this structure. The first floor features a series of niches, while the second floor has wide twin windows with smooth polygonal columns and capitals. The third floor has a similar structure, but the windows form series of three, making the light entries smaller. The second and third floors are decorated with lesenes, blind arches, and sawtooth patterns. The tower is covered by four slopes with sparse eaves.

Take a moment to examine the portal, where a dense collection of floral, geometric, and human figures occupies the sculpted archway. The portal, built in the mid-12th century, features five archways with rope interlace and various vegetal and anthropomorphic decorations. Some faces on these figures have been damaged over time.

One can clearly see the history of preservation through the use of olive-colored stone and the red firestone used for the arquets llombards on the tower. For those who wish to explore further, the Episcopal Museum in Vic preserves fragments of Romanesque wall paintings and two Romanesque lipsanotheques from this temple.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons