Parish church of San Cosme y San Damián

The church of La Portellada, dedicated to its revered patrons, San Cosme y San Damián, occupies an emblematic place at the heart of the two neighbourhoods that make up its urban surroundings. Its symbolic location between the Masía de Arriba and the Masía de Abajo reflects its role as a point of union both symbolically and in urban planning terms.

This church, erected in the 17th century, stands as a historical testimony to the era when La Portellada was a neighbourhood of La Fresneda. The separation of the village would not occur until the end of the 18th century, which adds an interesting nuance to the history of the church as part of a community that would later gain its independence.

The church of La Portellada is an impressive construction that combines rubble masonry and ashlar masonry. It consists of three naves divided into three bays, culminating in a crossing with a dome supported on pechinas. Its silhouette in the skyline of the village is distinguished by an intriguing chapitel crowning the tower, a copper replica of the original zinc one. Inside, paintings from 1758 are preserved in the intrados of the dome, depicting Our Lady and the Apostles.

Are you able to identify the coats of arms on its façade? Why are they there?

As La Portellada was a neighbourhood of La Fresneda, the coat of arms placed in the church upon completion of the works (in 1679) was that of La Fresneda. Today, the coat of arms presiding over the church is that of La Portellada, which replaced the first one in 1960. Years later, during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the independence of the village, the coat of arms of La Fresneda was restored, this time on one side of the façade.