Sant Miquel de la Portella

Sant Miquel de la Portella is a Romanesque church standing on its own a few kilometres outside the small town of Santa Coloma de Queralt, in the historic Conca de Barberà area of Tarragona province, Catalonia. It is not the kind of monument you stumble across in a village square — this one sits alone among fields and hills, in a spot that lost its resident population long ago.

Where exactly is the church?

The building lies roughly 5 km from Santa Coloma de Queralt. You reach it by following the road toward La Panadella and then continuing on foot along a track that branches off it. There is no car park at the site and no visitor infrastructure — this is a destination for travellers who want a quiet, unstaged encounter with history rather than a polished heritage site.

What does the name "la Portella" refer to?

La Portella was once a small settlement, now completely depopulated. The place name itself is documented as far back as 976, making it one of the older recorded locations in the area around Santa Coloma de Queralt. The church dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel ("Sant Miquel" in Catalan) only appears in written sources from 1293 onward — considerably later than the settlement's first mention, though the building itself may well predate that first surviving record.

What does the architecture look like?

The church follows a simple single-nave plan. The nave is covered by a barrel vault with a slightly pointed profile, a detail typical of the later phase of Catalan Romanesque building, when masons had begun experimenting with pointed arches before that form became standard in Gothic architecture. The exterior walls are reinforced with buttresses, evidence that the vault placed real structural pressure on the masonry and needed extra support.

What was the church's most valuable feature?

The most remarkable element of the building was its entrance portal: a set of semicircular archivolts framed by an outer drip-mould (guardapols), a combination typical of Romanesque doorways in this part of Catalonia. Carved reliefs on the portal depicted Saint Michael weighing souls on a scale — the psychostasis motif, a recurring image in medieval art tied to the archangel's role as judge of souls. That carved portal was stolen in 2008 and has never been recovered, a significant loss for Catalonia's Romanesque heritage.

Is it worth the detour?

For anyone interested in Romanesque architecture or in Catalonia's "lost" rural churches, Sant Miquel de la Portella is a worthwhile stop when exploring the area around Santa Coloma de Queralt. Just keep in mind that its single most famous feature — the carved portal — is gone, and the church itself stands in the quiet, semi-abandoned landscape of the former hamlet of la Portella.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far is Sant Miquel de la Portella from Santa Coloma de Queralt? About 5 km, along the road toward La Panadella.

Can you drive right up to the church? No. The road gets you close, but the final stretch is a footpath branching off the Santa Coloma de Queralt–La Panadella road.

Does the famous carved portal still exist? No. The original Romanesque portal, with its relief of Saint Michael weighing souls, was stolen in 2008.

What was the settlement of la Portella? A now-depopulated hamlet first recorded in 976, well before the church itself is first mentioned, in 1293.