Temple of the Blessed Virgin of Meritchel

The Church of the Blessed Virgin of Meritchel is one of the most important sights of Andorra. The Virgin of Meritchel, the patroness of Andorra and the place of worship of the Holy Virgin of Meritchel, has a thousand-year-old origin.

According to folk legend, the image of the Holy Virgin Merichel was found by believers heading from the city of Encamp to Canillo, in the middle of winter amidst flowering plants. The image was taken to the city of Canillo, but after a while, the image disappeared from there, and was again found in its former place among the fragrant vegetation. The next time he was taken to the city of Encamp, but he disappeared again. And then it was decided to build on the site of the Church of the Virgin Meritchel, which eventually became a religious symbol of Andorra.

The opening of the Holy Virgin of Meritchel was on September 8, 1976. But the old building of Romanesque architecture of the XVII century, from which only the base of the apse and the western facade have been preserved, has been restored, and now in its interior there is an exposition “Memory of Merichel”, which acquaints tourists with its history.

The image of St. Merichel was in the altar chapel, on which the Virgin held the baby in her arms. It was a beautiful Romanesque sculpture made of polychrome wood, and when a fire broke out in 1972, everything burned, except for the old chapel. Next to the ruins of the burned temple was built a new hermitage, in the style of modern architecture, the author of which was Ricardo Bofil.