The Principality of Andorra, a small country of 181 square miles (468 square kilometers), is situated between France and Spain on the south side of the Pyrenees Mountains. Its geographical location and the Catalan language unite Andorrans with the people of the Iberian Peninsula. Historically the majority of Andorrans have been Roman Catholic. Since the 1960s Andorran citizens have represented a minority of the population, while Spanish, Portuguese, and French immigrants have made up the majority.
Andorra has been a parliamentary coprincipality since 1993. Two coprinces, the Catholic bishop of Urgell, Spain, and the president of the French Republic, collectively fulfill the function of head of state, although governmental authority resides in the elected General Council and its cabinet.
Religious Tolerance
Until 1923 Catholicism was the official religion in Andorra, and freedom of worship was only tolerated. The Andorran people and the coprinces have since worked toward changing this situation. The constitution of 1953 respects civil rights, religious freedom, and separation of power between governmental branches, all the while recognizing the preeminence of Catholicism.
Andorra is part of the Urgell diocese in Catalonia, whose first known bishop was Saint Just (sixth century). It is probable that the people of Andorra were already converted to Christianity at that time. The first official mention of the original six parishes of Andorra dates back to the ninth century. In 843 the bishop of Urgell was granted sovereignty over Andorra, and this deeply affected the development of Andorran Catholicism. In the thirteenth century the count of Foix (France), also holding ruling power in Andorra, came into conflict with the bishop of Urgell. An agreement concerning control of the lands, known as the Paréages, was signed in 1278 under the aegis of Père II, king of Aragon and count of Barcelona. The Paréages partitioned control over of Andorra between the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix (the rights of latter were subsequently inherited by the president of the French Republic).
Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the clergy strictly supervised the population and managed to impose an almost unanimous church attendance. The Catholic Church in Andorra exerted strong control over shaping the moral values of families and communities. Despite the fact that Andorrans married late and their marriages were arranged by families, the number of illegitimate births and pregnancies was low. During this period religious life in Andorra was not intellectual and consisted mainly of communal religious practices and rituals marking important stages of life.
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Andorra suffered the repercussions of political events in France and Spain, weakening the position of the Catholic Church in the principality. The abolition of the tithe given to the church and the progressive establishment of universal suffrage led to confrontations between conservatives, partisans of the bishop, and progressives. France, followed by the Spanish state and the Andorran government, thwarted the influence of the episcopal coprince by proposing nondenominational education.
Until 1993 all of Andorra was nominally Catholic according to the parish registers that serve as a record of births, marriages, and deaths. At the start of the twenty-first century, only half of the Andorran population could be considered Catholic according to baptismal and marriage records.
Early and Modern Leaders
Saint Just, the first known bishop of Urgell (died 531), has been venerated as a martyr since the eleventh century. He is honored in the chapel of the Cathedral of La Seu d'Urgell.
Joan Marti i Alanis, the bishop of Urgell from 1977 to 2003, played an important role in the democratic evolution of Andorran political institutions and in the change of church attitude toward greater tolerance.
Major Theologians and Authors
In 1748 lawyer Antoni Fiter i Rossell drafted rules and statutes that were published in Le Manual Digest de les Valls d'Andorra. Twenty years later Rev. Antoni Puig revised Rossell's work in Le Politar Andorra, published in 1768. These two books formed the basis of ancient Andorran political institutions, including the status of the Catholic Church. According to the Manual Digest, "The crown of the Andorran Valley is the Roman Catholic religion."
Houses of Worship and Holy Places
Each of the original six parishes of Andorra has a parish church in its principal town. A seventh parish, Escaldes-Engordany, was established in 1978. All parishes have secondary chapels to serve each village. The Marian sanctuary of Meritxell in the Canillo parish attracts pilgrims from all over the country and constitutes Andorra's major spiritual center. In 1972 Nostra Senyora de Meritxell burned down. A new sanctuary was designed by the Catalan architect R. Bofill, and it was inaugurated in 1976. Nostra Senyora de Meritxell has come to represent the country's recent prosperity and its entry into the modern world.
What Is Sacred?
Andorrans show strong devotion to the Virgin Mary, especially as represented by Nostra Senyora de Meritxell, patron saint of Andorra since 1823. Andorrans attribute the absence of invasion and heresy since the Paréages (1278) to her, and there are numerous popular hymns sung in her honor. According to legend, a shepherd discovered the famous Romanesque statue of Nostra Senyora de Meritxell at the foot of wild rose bush, miraculously in bloom in the middle of winter. The statue, solemnly crowned in 1921, was the object of pilgrimages until it disappeared with its precious crown during the fire in 1972. A copy of the statue occupies a place of honor in the new sanctuary and receives daily homage with flowers and candles.
Holidays and Festivals
The Andorran national holiday, on 8 September, celebrates the birth of the Virgin Mary. On this day Andorrans make pilgrimages to the sanctuary at Meritxell, where they hold evening vigils, participate in torch-lit processions, and gather for a solemn mass in the morning.
Throughout Andorra young people who are not married organize local festivities. In Ordino each spring residents choose a girl who is beautiful and modest to honor the Virgin Mary, but the religious significance of this feast has diminished.
Mode of Dress
Catholics in Andorra do not dress any differently from non-Catholics, even for religious holidays. Andorrans typically wear European style clothing. During village festivals that honor the patron saint of the parish, some Andorrans wear traditional Catalan clothing.
Dietary Practices
In 1803 Bishop Antoni Dueño y Cisneros obtained for Andorrans the right to eat meat on Fridays, except those Fridays from Ash Wednesday to Easter, when the faithful would have a meatless meal at noon and a snack in the evening. Families who would like the privilege of eating meat on Fridays would purchase from their parish priest a papal bull that would exempt them from abstaining from meat. In contemporary times meatless meals are not obligatory except on Lenten Fridays and Ash Wednesday. Many families still eat fish on Fridays, more for nutritional than for religious reasons.
Rituals
Sunday Mass in Andorra is similar to that in other Catholic countries, although participation is relatively weak, especially in urban parishes. Each parish organizes an annual festival for a local patron saint. Religious holidays are important occasions for ritual observance in Andorra, and most Andorrans participate in aplechs, joyous gatherings with meals and popular dances.
Rites of Passage
The sacraments of the Catholic Church, including baptism, first Communion, confirmation, reconciliation, marriage, ordination of priests, and anointing of the sick, make up the rites of passage in Andorra. Couples usually live together before having a church wedding.
Membership
Without government support, Catholicism in Andorra has retreated into a defensive position, losing much of its missionary zeal. Among the various educational systems in the principality, only the Catholic schools (21 percent of the students) and the Spanish schools (18 percent) offer full religious instruction; Andorran public schools (22 percent) offer such instruction only in elementary school, while the French coprince schools (39 percent) offer none. The parishes provide catechism only for children in the primary grades.
Social Justice
There are two Catholic educational institutions that offer social services. AINA in Canillo organizes summer camps and weekend events for young volunteers who deliver Christian-inspired service to others. The Andorran division of Caritas has developed charitable activities in Andorra and in developing countries.
Social Aspects
The Catholic Church has had to accept that the principality has created civil marriage and instituted divorce. Catholic morality and Andorran legislation forbid abortion and euthanasia.
Political Impact
Although reduced, the political influence of the bishop of Urgell is exercised in the principality through multiple channels, and Catholic priests are paid by the civil authorities. Andorrans have not allowed new religious communities to settle in their country, with the exception of small charitable congregations. On the other hand, Opus Dei, the conservative political and religious Catholic organization founded in Spain in 1928, is well established.
The Catholic religion is a component of the Andorran identity. The national hymn proclaims the Nostra Senyora de Meritxell mother of the country and glorifies the Catholic faith, loyalty to the coprinces, and political neutrality.
Controversial Issues
There is little conflict between the government of Andorra and the Catholic Church, but unresolved issues remain. One is the possible introduction of religious instruction to secondary school students in the Andorran school system. Another is the proposed secularization of the still extensive church property. The church argues that civil authorities cannot levy taxes on church property.
Cultural Impact
Romanesque chapels and baroque altars are testimony to the artistic contribution of Catholicism within the culture of Andorra. With the exception of the new sanctuary in Meritxell, contemporary religious art is less inspiring.
Other Religions
Members of other religions in Andorra are found primarily among the expatriate populations, such as Anglicans and evangelicals among the British and Muslims among the North Africans. There are also small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as some members of the Unification Church.