Manresa Explained

Manresa
Settlement Type:Municipality
Image Map1:Localització de Manresa respecte del Bages.svg
Map Caption1:Location in Bages county
Pushpin Map:Spain Catalonia vegueries#Spain
Subdivision Type:Sovereign state
Subdivision Name: Spain
Subdivision Type1:Community
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Centre
Subdivision Type3:County
Subdivision Name3:Bages
Subdivision Type4:Province
Subdivision Name4:Barcelona
Leader Party:ERC
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Marc Aloy Guàrdia (2020)[1]
Area Footnotes:[2]
Area Total Km2:41.6
Elevation M:238
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Demonym:manresà, -sana
Postal Code:08241-08243
Blank Name:Climate
Blank Info:Cfa

Manresa (in Catalan; Valencian pronounced as /mənˈrɛzə/) is the capital of Bages county, located in the central region of Catalonia, Spain.

Crossed by the river Cardener, it is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged around the basilica of Santa Maria de la Seu.[3] Saint Ignatius of Loyola stopped to pray in the town on his way back from Montserrat in 1522. He also read in solitude in a cave near the town for a year,[4] which contributed to the formulation of his Spiritual Exercises. As such, the town is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics.

It is believed the comarcal name "Bages" comes from a corruption of the Latin "Bacchus" due to the extensive production of wine in the area. The wine was produced from grapes grown mainly in terraced vineyards, and many of these old terraces can be seen today. Wine ceased to be the main product of the area as a consequence of phylloxera, but is still a very important part of the Manresa/Bages economy.

During the Napoleonic invasion, the volunteer troops of Manresa (sometent in Catalan language) defeated the French troops in the Bruch Pass (June 1808), but the retreating French burned and demolished much of the town. After the expulsion of Napoleon's troops, Manresans rebuilt the town using the rubble.

History

Influential documents

See also: Bases de Manresa.

Jewish history

In the 12th century Manresa was said to have contained 500 Jewish families, most of whom lived in a narrow lane called "Grau dels Jueus," near the town hall; their cemetery, still called "Fossana dels Jueus," was outside the city. In the 13th and 14th centuries the Jews there were engaged in manufacturing, trading, money-lending, and in the cultivation of their vineyards and estates.

The hostility of the Christians towards the Jews, which prevailed throughout Catalonia, was also manifested in Manresa. In 1325 the Christian inhabitants of the town tried to prevent the Jews from baking their Passover bread, so that the latter were obliged to appeal to the King for protection. The Jews in Manresa did not escape the general persecution of 1391, and many of them professed to accept Christianity.

After 1414 comparatively few Jews remained in the town, and in 1492 they sold their property for whatever they could get, and left the country. At the beginning of the 15th century Manresa had 30,000 inhabitants; three centuries later it contained barely one-fifth of that number. Several members of the Zabarra (Sabara) family lived in Manresa. The town is not mentioned in the "Shebeṭ Yehudah."

Climate

Manresa has a humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), with cold winters and hot, moderately dry summers, while the rainiest seasons are spring and autumn.

Main sights

Three bridges cross the Cardener River. The 14th-century basilica of Santa Maria de la Seu stands on a rock above the oldest bridge. La Seu is the principal monument of Manresa. The church we can see today was designed by Berenguer de Montagut who also designed Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona. The architectural style is characteristic of Catalan Gothic. The work began in 1325, but the church was not finished until the end of the 15th century.[6] The municipal museum is housed in the cloisters of the 17th-century church of Sant Ignasi. This church is part of the Sanctuary Cave of Saint Ignatius (in Catalan Cova de Sant Ignasi), built over a cave in which Saint Ignatius of Loyola is said to have prayed and meditated.[7]

Economy

Industry in the town covers textile-making, metallurgy, and glass manufacture.

Sport

Bàsquet Manresa[8] is a professional basketball club based at the Pavelló Nou Congost. They play in the Spanish Premier Championship which they won once, in 1998.

Major events

The Fira Mediterrania in Manresa is held the first complete weekend in November every year. It is the main meeting point and trade fair of the mediterranean world, folk and roots artists with distributors, organisers, agencies, labels, export offices, instrument makers and dealers, journalists and other professionals.

Manresa Town Hall

The original building dates back to the 19th century.

Remodeling was agreed to be needed due to the old building's impractical use in Modern times. At the end of 2004, a competition was held to remodel the building with the aim of easing its disabled circulation.

The Barcelona-based Add + Arquitectura was selected and the project was completed in 2008. Add partners Manuel Bailo and Rosa Rull were responsible for the design. Bailo and Rull's key move was to partly demolish and extend the rear south-west wall of the town hall in order to implant a new circulation core

The front of the building maintained its traditional structure but at the rear of the building, the elevator and staircase are encased in a "cubist cacoon".[9]

Places borrowing the name

External relations

Twin towns

European cooperation

Famous people

References

Bibliography

Attribution

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ajuntament de Manresa. Generalitat of Catalonia. 2015-11-13.
  2. Web site: El municipi en xifres: Manresa. Statistical Institute of Catalonia. 2015-11-23.
  3. Web site: Ven. Tourism in Manresa. Turespaña. 20 April 2011.
  4. Web site: The Cave. Place of pilgrimage and worship. Cova de Sant Ignasi. 5 August 2014.
  5. Fynn-Paul. Jeffrey. Tartars in Spain: renaissance slavery in the Catalan city of Manresa, c. 1408.. Journal of Medieval History. December 2008. 34. 4. 347–359. 10.1016/j.jmedhist.2008.09.006. 159594926.
  6. Web site: Manresa Ciutat mil- lenária. Monuments and Places of Interest. Adjuntament de Manresa. 20 April 2011.
  7. Web site: The Cave. Place of pilgrimage and worship. Cova de Sant Ignasi. 5 August 2014.
  8. Web site: Relación de SAD — Portal del Consejo Superior de Deportes . . 1 July 2018 . es-ES . https://web.archive.org/web/20170402211548/http://www.csd.gob.es/csd/asociaciones/6SAD/relacion-sad/ . 2 April 2017 . dead .
  9. Slessor. Catherine. 030. Architectural Review. April 2009. 225. 1346. 060–067.
  10. Web site: Eurotowns – network of medium-sized cities. Eurotowns.

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