Church Sant Esteve de Canapost

17113 Canapost, Girona
Coordinates: 41.9753570000, 3.0722680000 (map)

The building of the church of Sant Esteve de Canapost consists of three blocks, each dating back to a different time period. The central block was erected in the 9-10th century A.D. Between the 11th and 12th centuries, a bell tower and an additional nave joined the central block, on the southern and the northern sides, respectively. The unfinished facade of the main entrance is a construction dating back to the 18th century.

The church of Sant Esteve de Canapost is dedicated not only to Saint Stephen, as evident from its name, but also to Saint Cletus, the third Pope of Rome, who held the papal throne between 76 and 88 A.D.

As was customary at the time, some of the land next to the church was made into a cemetery. Between November 2004 and May 2005, archeologists conducted a dig here, discovering 85 graves and 18 sarcophagi dating back to Medieval times. Large quantities of ceramic pots and St James scallop shells were discovered next to the buried remains, evidently brought along by pilgrims who had walked the Way of St James (Camino de Santiago).