Manresa

For other places with the same name, see Manresa (disambiguation).
Manresa
Municipality

Seu of Manresa

Flag

Coat of arms
Manresa

Location in Spain

Coordinates: 41°43′46″N 1°49′38″E / 41.72944°N 1.82722°E
Country  Spain
Community  Catalonia
Province Barcelona
Comarca Bages
Government
  Mayor Valentí Junyent
Area
  Total 41.66 km2 (16.09 sq mi)
Elevation 238 m (781 ft)
Population (2009)
  Total 76,558
  Density 1,800/km2 (4,800/sq mi)
Demonym Manresà
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Website Official website

Manresa (Catalan pronunciation: [mənˈrɛzə]) is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographic centre of Catalonia, Spain, and 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 María de la Seo.[1] 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,[2] 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 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) 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.

Jewish history

The Santa Cova, where St. Ignatius stayed during his time in Manresa

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."

Main sights

La Seu from the Tower of Santa Caterina

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.[3] 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.[4]

Culture

Economy

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

Places borrowing the name

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.

Twin towns

European Cooperation

Influential Documents

Manresa Town Hall


Famous People


References

  1. Ven. "Tourism in Manresa". Turespaña. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  2. "The Cave. Place of pilgrimage and worship". Cova de Sant Ignasi. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. "Monuments and Places of Interest". Adjuntament de Manresa. Retrieved 20 April 2011. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  4. "The Cave. Place of pilgrimage and worship". Cova de Sant Ignasi. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  5. "Assignia Manresa Basketball Team". Eurobasket Inc. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  6. "Eurotowns".
  7. Fynn-Paul, Jeffrey (December 2008). "Tartars in Spain: renaissance slavery in the Catalan city of Manresa, c.1408.". Journal of Medieval History 34 (4): 347–359. doi:10.1016/j.jmedhist.2008.09.006.
  8. Slessor, Catherine (April 2009). "030". Architectural Review 225 (1346): p060–067.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manresa.