Andorra Restores Sant Serni de Nagol Church with €55,000 Investment

Restoration Work Completed at Sant Serni de Nagol Church

Andorra's Cultural Heritage Department finishes conservation project in Sant Julià de Lòria parish, highlighting historic slate floor and Gothic altarpiece.

The Department of Cultural Heritage has completed restoration efforts at the Church of Sant Serni de Nagol in Sant Julià de Lòria this September. The project aimed to preserve the building's historical features while enhancing its usability and upkeep.

Key interventions included removing a wooden parquet floor installed in 2017 to reveal and restore the original slate pavement underneath. Workers consolidated damaged areas using hydraulic lime mortar, filled larger gaps, and secured stone slabs in the presbytery and apse. Similar work extended to the 18th-century porch, where wooden flooring was stripped to expose the natural stone, and some graffiti was addressed—though certain inscriptions potentially dating to World War II were preserved for study by historian Pau Chica.

Inside, technicians uncovered a previously walled-up window, repaired the choir staircase, and applied limewash paint to the nave walls and apse, matching tones from earlier restorations and aligning with surviving medieval murals from the church's 1055 consecration.

Electrical systems received a full upgrade, including a new distribution board hidden above the choir, enhanced lighting to accentuate architectural details, and modernized security, intrusion detection, and CCTV. Furniture and liturgical items, such as benches, a cross, and a lantern, were also restored.

A standout element is the late Gothic altarpiece dedicated to Saint Serni, now returned to its original north wall position after conservation. The modest 16th-century piece features the saint in the central niche, a Calvary scene, solar and lunar symbols, and Christ and Virgin Mary monograms; some panels remain unpainted due to limited funds at the time.

Isabel de la Parte, the department director, noted the works restored the site's authentic feel and greater sense of space. Mireia Tarrés, a restorer, described the altarpiece's technical simplicity. The project, costing over €55,000, impressed UNESCO evaluators visiting for Andorra's Coprincipat origins candidacy. Other altarpieces, including those of Saint Martin and a Baroque one, remain in storage awaiting attention.