First Romanesque is the name, credited to Josep Puig i Cadafalch, to refer to the Romanesque art which developed in Catalonia from the late 10th century.
The geographical proximity of this Iberian region to the rest of Europe, resulted in depictions of the emerging Romanesque art being brought to Catalonia. While the art failed to take root in the rest of the Iberian Peninsula until the second third of the 11th century, there are numerous examples of its presence in Catalan counties before this time. Though this style may not be considered fully Romanesque, the area contained many of the defining characteristics of this artistic style.
To avoid the term Pre-Romanesque, often used with a much broader meaning than is generally suited to refer to early Medieval and early Christian art, and in Spain may also refer to the Visigothic, Asturias, Mozarabic and Repoblación art forms, Puig i Cadafalch preferred to use the term "First Romanesque" or "first Romanesque art" to designate those Catalan anticipations of the Romanesque itself. This term is now commonly accepted. (See Romanesque architecture in Spain).
During the first quarter of the 11th century, much architectural activity by groups composed of Lombard teachers and stonemasons, who worked throughout Catalan territories, erected fairly uniform temples, some of which still exist today. The large promoter and sponsor of this art was Oliva, monk and abbot of the monastery of Ripoll who, in 1032, ordered the extension of the body of this building with a façade with two towers, plus a transept which included seven apses, all decorated on the outside with the Lombardic ornamentation of blind arches and vertical strips.