Sant Joan de les Abadesses
Encyclopedia
Sant Joan de les Abadesses is a town and municipality
located in the south-east of the comarca
of Ripollès
, in Catalonia
.
era.
It seems that the area was not very much Romanized, despite the fact that a branch of the Via Augusta
went up the valley to the Coll d'Ares.
by Wilfred the Hairy
in 887. This was one of the first nunneries founded in Catalonia
, and its first abbess was Emma of Barcelona, daughter of Wilfred. The Benedictine
community grew in wealth and importance throughout the 10th century. However, in 1017, the nuns, accused of violating the rules by which they were supposed to be living, were expelled in a bull
by Pope
Benedict VIII
.
This expulsion initiated a period of instability that lasted until the re-establishment of canons of the order of Saint Augustine in the 12th century and with the patronage of Ramon Berenguer III
. The new Augustinian monks largely rebuilt the monastery, including new churches for the monastery itself and the parish
of Saint Pol. New cultural importance and splendor was brought to the monastery in this period, as evidenced by its extensive archive of troubadour
songs from this era.
Around the monastery, the town of Sant Joan was founded. Initially, the laypeople lived around the Church of Sant Pol, in the neighborhood today known as El Raval. But the town's growing population necessitated the construction of a walled town (the Vila Vella) on land that had been known as El Vinyal. This part of the town was home to numerous medieval guilds.
As time passed, power in the town shifted from religious to secular. The town became a Carlist capital, and suffered the consequences of wars with nearby France, as well as industrialization and social change.
, precipitating the construction of a railroad from Sant Joan to Barcelona
. The railroad was finished on October 17, 1880. This accelerated the town's growth and industrialization. Like other towns along the Ter River, numerous factories and industrial colonies were built to take advantage of hydrological power from the river. A native citizen of the town introduced concrete to the Iberian Peninsula
, and the town itself pioneered concrete manufacturing.
During the Spanish Civil War
of the 1930s, the town renamed itself Puig-Alt de Ter (High-Hill of the Ter). And as Republican forces retreated in defeat, many passed through the town on their way to the French border. However, Republican soldiers destroyed bridges and the train station as they passed, to cover their retreat. After the war, the town recovered and diversified its industries.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located in the south-east of the comarca
Comarques of Catalonia
This is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
of Ripollès
Ripollès
Ripollès is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the Ribes and Camprodon river valleys. , its population is 25,744, about 40% of whom live in the capital, Ripoll....
, in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
.
Geography and climate
The town is located along the upper part of the River Ter, in the valley of the same name, and enclosed by the Serra Cavallera to the north and the mountain of Sant Antoni to the south. It has an inland, continental climate, with abundant precipitation and notable temperature variability.Economy
Most of the economy of Sant Joan de les Abadesses is centered on industry and manufacturing. However, there have more recently been increases in tourism to the town, with a corresponding increase in the service industry. Rural areas of the municipality are largely occupied by farms, usually raising cows.Ancient times
Human settlement in the valley around Sant Joan de les Abadesses dates to prehistoric times, and archeological research has found evidence of settlements in the region from the Lower PaleolithicLower Paleolithic
The Lower Paleolithic is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 2.5 million years ago when the first evidence of craft and use of stone tools by hominids appears in the current archaeological record, until around 300,000 years ago, spanning the...
era.
It seems that the area was not very much Romanized, despite the fact that a branch of the Via Augusta
Via Augusta
Via Augusta was a Roman road crossing all the Hispania Province, from Cádiz in the southern tip of current Spain, to the Coll de Panissars, where it crossed the Pyrenees close to the Mediterranean Sea, and joined the Via Domitia...
went up the valley to the Coll d'Ares.
Middle Ages
The origins of the present town lie in the founding of the Monastery of Sant Joan de les AbadessesMonastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses
The Monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses is a monastery in the comarca of Ripollès, Catalonia, northern Spain. Until the year 945 it was the only female monastery in the area.-History:...
by Wilfred the Hairy
Wilfred the Hairy
Wilfred or Wifred, called the Hairy, was Count of Urgell , Cerdanya , Barcelona , Girona , Besalú , and Ausona ....
in 887. This was one of the first nunneries founded in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, and its first abbess was Emma of Barcelona, daughter of Wilfred. The Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
community grew in wealth and importance throughout the 10th century. However, in 1017, the nuns, accused of violating the rules by which they were supposed to be living, were expelled in a bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
by Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Benedict VIII
Pope Benedict VIII
Pope Benedict VIII , born Theophylactus, Pope from 1012 to 1024, of the noble family of the counts of Tusculum , descended from Theophylact, Count of Tusculum like his predecessor Pope Benedict VI .Benedict VIII was opposed by an antipope, Gregory...
.
This expulsion initiated a period of instability that lasted until the re-establishment of canons of the order of Saint Augustine in the 12th century and with the patronage of Ramon Berenguer III
Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer III the Great was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1082 , Besalú from 1111, Cerdanya from 1117, and Provence, in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1112, all until his death in Barcelona in 1131...
. The new Augustinian monks largely rebuilt the monastery, including new churches for the monastery itself and the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Saint Pol. New cultural importance and splendor was brought to the monastery in this period, as evidenced by its extensive archive of troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
songs from this era.
Around the monastery, the town of Sant Joan was founded. Initially, the laypeople lived around the Church of Sant Pol, in the neighborhood today known as El Raval. But the town's growing population necessitated the construction of a walled town (the Vila Vella) on land that had been known as El Vinyal. This part of the town was home to numerous medieval guilds.
As time passed, power in the town shifted from religious to secular. The town became a Carlist capital, and suffered the consequences of wars with nearby France, as well as industrialization and social change.
Contemporary era
In the mid-19th century, coal mining was begun in OgassaOgassa
Ogassa is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
, precipitating the construction of a railroad from Sant Joan to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. The railroad was finished on October 17, 1880. This accelerated the town's growth and industrialization. Like other towns along the Ter River, numerous factories and industrial colonies were built to take advantage of hydrological power from the river. A native citizen of the town introduced concrete to the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, and the town itself pioneered concrete manufacturing.
During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
of the 1930s, the town renamed itself Puig-Alt de Ter (High-Hill of the Ter). And as Republican forces retreated in defeat, many passed through the town on their way to the French border. However, Republican soldiers destroyed bridges and the train station as they passed, to cover their retreat. After the war, the town recovered and diversified its industries.
Main sights
- Monastery of Sant Joan de les AbadessesMonastery of Sant Joan de les AbadessesThe Monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses is a monastery in the comarca of Ripollès, Catalonia, northern Spain. Until the year 945 it was the only female monastery in the area.-History:...
, founded in the late 9th century, with the current RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
complex built in the 12th century. - Pont Vell, or "Old Bridge", built in the medieval era and in the GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. - Vila Vella, planned city built in the 13th century. It conserves its street layout, Main Square, and several houses from the 17th century.
- Remains of the Medieval walls, including two extant towers, and parts of the wall itself.
- "Way of Iron and Coal" (Ruta de Ferro i Carbó), a rail trailRail trailA rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
along the former railroad bed.