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In this perspective of the town of Ars, in Les Valls de Valira, in Alt Urgell, which we see in The Readers’ Photos of La Vanguardia, the circular bell tower of the Romanesque church of Sant Martí stands out.
This circular bell tower, with mullioned windows and arches at the top, protrudes three stories above the roof of the church and the neighboring buildings.
Built with irregular rigging arranged in courses, the two upper floors have smooth capitals. The bell tower, to which the loopholes above and on the first floor give a defensive character, is the most relevant element of the church.
And, given its cylindrical structure, it is, along with the church of Santa Coloma in Andorra, one of the few examples of Catalan Romanesque of this typology.
The town of Ars is located on a hillside elevated at 1362 meters above sea level, under the Conques level. The town has about thirty inhabitants. At the highest part there was once a castle, of which we can still find some remains.
