Andorra Síndic Hands Over Replica Keys to Historic Parish Cupboard

Síndic General Carles Ensenyat and Subsíndica Sandra Codina handed over replica keys to the historic "armari dels dos panys" cupboard to consuls from Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany during a ceremony at Casa de la Vall.

The event marked the parishes' symbolic recovery of access to the early 18th-century cupboard, once located in the síndic's office and used as a communal archive for Andorra la Vella. It stored parish documents for the quarters of Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany until 1978, when the latter became a separate parish. More than 5,500 documents— including session records, ledgers, vouchers, and parchments—were transferred to the Arxiu Nacional on 5 September 1996 for better preservation and public access.

Sergi González i Ollala Losada and Rosa Gili, consuls majors from Andorra la Vella, along with Quim Dolsa from Escaldes-Engordany, received the new keys. The originals had disappeared during recent building renovations, prompting a goldsmith to craft replicas based on the surviving locks. The cupboard's dual-lock design requires two keys turned simultaneously, reflecting the shared territorial control of the era.

Ensenyat described the handover as an effort to preserve the tradition and symbolism of joint custody over the documents.

Consellers from both parishes attended the ceremony, which followed the restoration work at Casa de la Vall. The building passed to Consell General ownership around 1702, with the síndic's office later serving as the Comú d'Andorra's meeting room. The archive ceased generating records on 14 June 1978.