The ruins of Santa Maria de Montessor lie near the remains of the castle of the same name, at the Castellassos or Picons d'Os, where other remnants of medieval settlement can be found. The church was under the control of the abbey of Àger during the Middle Ages, but the documentation of its donation imposes a complex history.
A document dated 1153 records Guerau Ponç II de Cabrera and his wife donating the church, among other properties and items, to the abbey. However, the term of Montessor was not occupied by Christians until 1116.
The ownership of the church by the abbey of Àger was confirmed by a bull of Pope Alexander III in 1179. In modern times, Santa Maria de Montessor is mentioned in the 1648 sinodal book of the presbytery of Àger.
The church is a single-naved building with a barrel vault, capped on the east by a semi-circular apse, of which only the lower row of stones remains. The church's western part, where the door and a window are located, has been looted and lacks the exterior wall of the facade. The church's facade is composed of a very irregular masonry made up of alternating small and large unfinished stones.
In the interior, several rectangular niches are preserved irregularly distributed. Despite the rough construction, the proportions suggest a date advanced in the 12th century for the construction of the church.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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