Ruins of Sant Jaume de Peà: A Hidden Church in the Solsonès

The church and nucleus of Sant Jaume de Peà, situated in the central-western part of the municipal territory of Navès, form part of the Inventory of Catalan Architectural Heritage of Navès. The route to the church starts from the C-26 road between Solsona and Berga, at its pass through the term of Navès. The road to Peà is asphalted and well-signposted until the crossroads in a serrat. From there, the path is less accessible and it is recommended to drive a 4x4, following a slight downhill and crossing the Merlí torrent.

Sant Jaume de Peà is a Romanesque church oriented east-south-east with a round apse. The nave is covered with a barrel vault over masonry and features a semi-circular arch for the presbytery. It has a lintel doorway, which is not Romanesque, and a contemporary monolithic bull’s eye above it. A window remains in the middle of the apse, though only the rectangular block with the monolithic arch remains at the interior exit.

The wall of the nave has been reinforced on the exterior with large quoins. These blocks are contemporary with the lintel doorway. Inside the church, above the masonry of the nave, there is a molding of trapezoidal stones with a chamfer. In 2015, the exterior coating of the apse was reconstructed.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons