The Romanesque details of the Les Feixes de Coaner masia

The Les Feixes de Coaner is a masia in the municipality of Sant Mateu de Bages, included in the Inventari del Patrimoni Arquitectònic de Catalunya. It was first owned by Guillem Feixes, born around 1180, until the family moved to a property in Camps in 1873. The structure is a large masia oriented toward the south, featuring five distinct levels - three of which are underground. The lower levels include old cellars, granaries, a stable, and a ground floor covered with a lime and sand vault, reinforced by Gothic stone arches on the highest level.

The house shows various construction stages in its exterior structure, and all windows feature lintels. A balcony, now located on one side, was originally positioned above the main door. It features Romanesque capitals - one representing a human figure and the other a dragon-like animal - which serve as decorative ends to a band framing the lintel. The stone work of the balcony stands just a span from the ground on both sides, while the lintel shows a schematic decoration.

Historically, the Feixes family traded ice obtained from an ice well, which they sold in Barcelona. A document from 1649 records the death of Jacint Freixes, who was attacked, murdered, and robbed by bandits while returning from Barcelona. The property also contains a uniquely inventoried ice well. This circular cavity has walls covered in stones with a barrel vault. It is accessed through an L-shaped passage about 7 to 8 meters long and 1.30 meters high, leading to a cavity about 3 meters in diameter and 7 to 8 meters high, intended for storing natural snow or ice from glaciers.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons