Albinyana (Catalan pronunciation: �lβiˈɲanə is a village in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...

and the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

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 ...

, Spain. It belongs to

in the

Baix Penedès Baix Penedès () is a comarca in the Penedès region, in Catalonia, Spain. The area has been settled since the times of the Iberians, with ancient ruins remaining in Banyeres at ''Can Canyís'', at the village of ''Guàrdies'' and in Calafell a ...

region. It has a population of .

History

In the eleventh century, Viscount Guitard strategically built his castle in Albinyana, near the border and prone to Saracen attacks. His son Adalbert, who died during the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

, bequeathed the place to the

Monastery of Sant Cugat The Monastery of Sant Cugat (, ) is a Benedictine abbey in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain. Founded in the ninth century, and under construction until the 14th century, it was the most important monastery in the county of Barcelona. Its ...

. In 1040, the monastery's abbot ceded the lands to Bernat Otger on the condition that he would rebuild the castle and take care of its defence. Due to its vulnerable location, the castle remained uninhabited for a long time. It belonged to the monks of Sant Cugat until the end of the lordships. There are no remains of the castle today, and the acknowledged location is the same place that forms the centre of the village today. Two other fortifications also played a significant role in the local history. One is the old Esquena Roja castle, mentioned in documents from 1173. Shortly after that, it became a farmhouse. The other fortification is the Tomoví castle, although documents found seem to suggest that it was more of a fortified mansion, a structure with defensive features but not as extensive as a castle, than a castle itself.

Historical buildings

The parish church is named

St. Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

. Although it is documented in 1120 as a possession of Sant Cugat monastery, the current church building dates only to the eighteenth century. It features a semicircular

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

with a frieze and a window. The

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

has a square base and a little angel statue at the top. Another notable building in Plaça Major is Cal Pau Magí. This seventeenth-century structure has three floors. Inside is a lobby with a vaulted arch and stairs leading to the residential area, and the construction date (1637) is inscribed. It served as the former residence of the Sant Cugat administrator. In Les Peces is a priory, known as Cal Gener, dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and rebuilt in the eighteenth century. This large building has stone-framed windows; its façade features interesting

sgraffiti (; ) is an artistic or decorative technique of scratching through a coating on a hard surface to reveal parts of another underlying coating which is in a contrasting colour. It is produced on walls by applying layers of plaster tinted in con ...

restored in 1984. The sgraffiti depict human figures and various architectural and geometric elements. Cal Gener now operates as a house museum dedicated to rural tourism. The is located on the outskirts of Albinyana. This eighteenth-century building has a rectangular floor plan and a gable roof. It features a

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

, external buttresses, and an attached bell tower, believed to be the old castle's defensive structure. It is on a small hill; the entire structure is painted white.

Economy

The main economic activity is

rainfed agriculture Rainfed agriculture is a type of farming that relies on rainfall for water. It provides much of the food consumed by poor communities in developing countries. E.g., rainfed agriculture accounts for more than 95% of farmed land in sub-Saharan Afric ...

. The main crops are vineyards, grains, almonds, and hazelnuts. Until the mid-twentieth century, a significant industry was devoted to manufacturing palm baskets.

Local celebrations

The town celebrates its festivals in July, coinciding with the Our Lady of Carmel, and on 24 August, the feast of

Saint Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

Photo gallery

File:L'ermita de Sant Antoni, Albinyana.JPG, The Saint Anthony (Sant Antoni de Pàdua) Hermitage File:432 Edifici al carrer de la Civaderia, 4.jpg, Building on the Notari Albinyana street - Civaderia 4 (Tarragona) File:Rellotge de sol de Cal Gener, Les Peces (Albinyana).jpg, Sundial view of the Cal Gener building, Les Peces (Albinyana)

References

External links

Information about the Municipality

Photos and information about ''Cal gener''

Government data pages
{{Authority control Municipalities in Baix Penedès Populated places in Baix Penedès