Sagàs () is a small town and municipality located in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, in the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

Berguedà Berguedà () is an inland Comarques of Catalonia, comarca in the Comarques Centrals, central region of Catalonia, Spain. It lies partly in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, and partly in the Catalan Central Depression. The capital is the city of Berg ...

. It is located in the geographical area of the pre-

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

Population

Sagàs is essentially a collection of farmhouses, or masies, separated by low wooded ridges and cultivated fields. The municipality is made up of five separate villages (Sant Andreu de Sagàs, El Carrer de Bonaire, Biure de Berguedà, La Guàrdia de Sagàs, and Valloriola) and two parishes (Sant Andreu de Sagàs and Santa Maria de la Guàrdia). Traditionally, the people of Sagàs made their living from agriculture. While this is still true for most of the inhabitants of Sagàs, the increased mechanization of farming has led to a growth in rural tourism, as well as a drop in population—the town has a growth rate of negative 10.4 percent.

Coat of arms

Although Sagàs has no coat of arms officially recognized by the

Generalitat de Catalunya The Generalitat de Catalunya (; ; ), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia is self-governed as an autonomous community of Spain. It is made up of the Parliament of Catalonia, the President of the Govern ...

, the town hall traditionally uses a yellow (for heraldic gold) shield bearing a purple

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

cross with a

palm of martyrdom The palm branch, or palm frond, is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm ''( Phoenix)'' was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient Egypt represente ...

, representing

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...

(or, a

couped purpure, overall a

palm frond Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

, proper).

Celebrations

The ''festa major'' or "town festival" is held on November 30, the

feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

of the town's patron saint, St. Andrew. The parish of La Guàrdia de Sagàs holds its own celebration on the first Sunday in October, and the town hall often organizes a ''sopar de germanor'', or "community supper", on or around October 16, the feast of Saint Gaudericus (''Sant Galderic'' in Catalan), the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Catalan farmers.

Main sights

*Church of ''Sant Andreu'' (Saint Andrew). This structure has origins in a church dedicated to Saint Andrew from the 11th century. The current church was built in the Romanesque style. It has a typical basilican floor-plan, with three naves, each crowned separately by a semi-circular apse. The church was heavily modified in the 15th century, with major interior changes as well as the addition of the present bell-tower. The altar is also famous. Beginning in 1970, a number of locals started a movement to restore the church to its original 11th-century appearance. It stands today restored.''Catalunya Romànica. Vol. XII El Berguedà.'' Enciclopèdia Catalana. Barcelona, 1985 *Church of Sant Esteve de Valldoriola *Chapel of Santa Margarida de Sagàs, built in the 10th century or earlier. *Chapel of Sant Jordi, a small chapel dedicated to Saint George *Church of Sant Martí de Biure, a 10th-century Romanesque church. *Church of Santa Maria de la Guàrdia, and its famous statue of the Virgin Mary. Located on a hill over the

Llobregat The Llobregat () is the second longest river in Catalonia, Spain, after the Ter. It flows into the Mediterranean south of the city of Barcelona. Its name could have originated in an ancient Latin word meaning 'dark', 'muddy' or 'slippery', or ...

valley, it is a well known for its vistas. *Ruins of the Tower of Sagàs, a small fortress from the 5th century.

History

Before the arrival of the Romans, Sagàs was inhabited by the Bergistani, an Iberian tribe. In book XXXIV of ''Ab Urbe Condita'',

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

refers to ''Segestica'', "an important and opulent city"The Project Gutenberg EBook of History of Rome, Vol III, by Titus Livius https://www.gutenberg.org/files/12582/12582-h/12582-h.htm#h17 ("Segesticam ..grauem atque opulentam ciuitatem"), which most likely corresponds to Sagàs. According to Livy,

Cato the Elder Marcus Porcius Cato (, ; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor (), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, Roman Senate, senator, and Roman historiography, historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He wa ...

ordered that the walls of all Iberian towns between the

Ebro The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...

river and the

be dismantled in order to avoid further uprisings. Only ''Segestica'' resisted, and had to be "reduced by works and engines". The importance of this city in ancient times may explain the large number of pre-Latin place names ( la Quar, Olvan, Merlès) found in the area directly around Sagàs. In medieval times, the first written reference to Sagàs appears in a document from 903, describing the consecration of the Church of Sant Andreu by the

Bishop of Urgell The Diocese of Urgell (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Catalonia (Spain) and the Principality of Andorra in the historical County of Urgell, The current church of Sant Andreu was built somewhat later, on the same site as the original church. Little remains of the original structure, but thirteen graves, the remnants of the original church's cemetery, have been unearthed inside the nave of the current church. Though Sagàs originally was part of the

County of Osona The County of Osona, also Ausona (, ; ), was one of the Catalan counties of the ''Marca Hispanica'' in the Early Middle Ages, Early and High Middle Ages. It was based around the capital city of Vic, Catalonia, Vic (''Vicus'') and the corresponding ...

, in the 10th century it became part of the

Berga Berga () is the capital of the ''Catalonia/Comarques, comarca'' (county) of Berguedà, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered by the municipalities of Cercs, Olvan, Avià, Capolat and Castellar del Riu. History Berga de ...

, which was later incorporated into the

Cerdanya Cerdanya (; , ; , ) or often La Cerdanya is a natural region, natural comarca and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain. Historically it was one of the Catalan counties, counties of Catalonia. Cerdanya has a ...

. The Monastery of Sant Pere de la Portella (in the neighbouring municipality of La Quar) acquired much of Sagàs during the 11th century. For much of the Middle Ages, the town was ruled by the Barons of la Portella, though it eventually became part of the Barony of Pinós. It seems Sagàs has always been a farming town, with little strategic importance, although a small castle (about three metres by six metres at the base) was built there between the tenth and twelfth centuries. In 1994, Sagàs was ravaged by wildfires that burnt much of the ''comarques'' of

and

Bages Bages () is a comarca (county) in the central region of Catalonia, Spain. The capital is the city of Manresa. Industries include the mining of potash at Súria and Sallent, and the manufacture of textiles along the rivers Llobregat and Car ...

; much of the forest that once characterized the town was lost, and the town's farms were dealt a serious blow.

References

External links

Official website

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagas Municipalities in Berguedà Populated places in Berguedà