50th Anniversary of the New Sanctuary of Meritxell

50th anniversary of the new Sanctuary of Meritxell

The Sanctuary of Meritxell in the parish of Canillo is Andorra's most important religious site. It is home to the veneration of Our Lady of Meritxell, the patron saint of the Principality. Her feast day on 8 September is Andorra's national holiday and draws many pilgrims every year from across the country and the neighbouring regions. The original pilgrimage church dated back to the Romanesque period and was the centre of Marian devotion in the Pyrenees for centuries.

On the night of 8 to 9 September 1972, a fire almost completely destroyed the old church – together with the Romanesque statue of the Virgin, which has since been replaced by a replica. The Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill was commissioned to design a new building. His sanctuary, inaugurated on 8 September 1976, draws on Romanesque and regional building traditions, combines natural stone with clean, modern lines and blends into the mountain landscape of the valley. The ruins of the old church have been preserved nearby as a reminder of the site's history.

With its 2026 2-euro commemorative coin, Andorra marks the 50th anniversary of this inauguration. The sanctuary is at once a place of faith, an architectural monument and a symbol of national identity – a fitting subject for a coin that reflects how tradition and modernity come together in the small Pyrenean state.