Sant Iscle i Santa Victòria, La Massana's Baroque parish church

In a parish as rich in Romanesque as La Massana, its main church surprises by not being Romanesque at all. Sant Iscle i Santa Victòria stands in the old centre of La Massana, a rectangular church with a square bell tower and no Romanesque fabric left. Its strength is the Baroque.

Three makeovers in three centuries

The building’s story reads in dates. It was remodelled and enlarged in 1622. The bell tower dates from 1802, according to a dated stone that records it. And in the 1960s it was altered once more. The result is a village church that has changed along with its parish.

What’s worth seeing inside?

The Baroque altarpieces. The main one, notably slender, is headed by Our Lady of the Angels and the patron saints, and around it are those of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St Isidore, St Anthony of Padua and Our Lady of the Rosary. It also keeps two wooden reliquaries, a medieval candlestick and a baptismal font that probably is Romanesque, the oldest thing you’ll see.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Sant Iscle i Santa Victòria and pick one that fits your day.

Fitting it in

Like nearly every church in the country, it’s free to visit on the dates museus.ad publishes. I’d look in while passing through the centre and then head up to the real Romanesque in the parish, Sant Cristòfol d’Anyós or Sant Climent de Pal. The full picture is in the Romanesque churches of Andorra.

Reaching La Massana

You only need to get to the village, as the church is in its old centre. From Andorra la Vella the L7 national bus runs every fifteen minutes on weekdays, and the L5 and L6 also stop in La Massana on their way to Arinsal and Ordino. Arriving by car, the centre is small and easy to walk.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Andorra la Vella before you arrive rather than at the desk.

What’s nearby

The gondola up to the Pal sector of the ski area leaves from the village centre. A few minutes’ drive away, Sant Climent de Pal has a three-storey Lombard tower with double twin windows, unique in Andorra, a 13th-century Virgin of Remei and a 1709 altarpiece, with free entry. In Sispony, Casa Rull shows how a farming family lived until the early 20th century, for €5 according to museus.ad.

Who it’s for

For anyone based in La Massana or passing through, going in is easy and free, and the altarpieces deserve the stop. If you’re on a quick Romanesque tour, I’d put it second and give priority to Pal and Anyós, which are the real reason to travel to this parish. I would still stop to look at the 1802 bell tower from the square, because it explains well how Andorra’s villages grew after the Middle Ages. I would allow about fifteen minutes inside, enough to take in each altarpiece. It also makes a good shelter on a rainy morning in the village. Entry is free on the published visiting days.

If you still need a way in, check the best ticket deals to Andorra la Vella from where you are.