Església de Sant Esteve de Riudellots – Riudellots

In 1500, work began on the construction of the church, which would be completed in 1565, according to the timeline of the works established by Josep Maria Marquès. The primitive church of Riudellots was located between two rivers, the Cric and the Riudevilla. In 1430, either to avoid the constant flooding or due to the earthquake in 1428, it was decided to relocate the town centre and church to its current site. There are no remnants of the old Romanesque church.

The Late Gothic-style church has a single nave with side chapels, a rib vault ceiling and a polygonal apse. The main façade has a rectangular portal flanked by two columns with capitals decorated with fantastical animals and plant motifs. At the centre of the façade, there is a large oculus and, slightly above, a window with the date 1592 inscribed on its lintel. Under the roof sloping to the sides, we find three stone gargoyles depicting animals. To the left-hand side, as a finishing touch to the top part, there is a small conjuratory, known as the witches’ tower, with a hipped roof on top of four pillars.

The style of the bell tower is formally very different from the rest of the Gothic building. The square tower has two rounded arch windows on each side at the top.