Verdú
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Verdú () is a village and municipality in the province of
Lleida Lleida (, ; ; '' see below'') is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià county, the Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It ...
, 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 ...
, Spain. It is traditionally associated with the
Segarra Segarra () is a Comarques of Catalonia, comarca (county) in Ponent, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Catalonia (Spain), situated on a high plain. Historically, the name referred to a larger area than the current comarca. It has a continental cl ...
region, but in 1936 was transferred to the ''comarca'' of
Urgell Urgell (), also known as ''Baix Urgell'' (''baix'' meaning "lower", by contrast with Alt Urgell "Upper Urgell"), is a ''comarca'' (county) in Ponent, Catalonia (Spain), forming only a borderland portion of the region historically known as Urgel ...
. It has a population of . The municipality covers 36 km2. The landscape consists of rolling hills with valleys and plains cultivated with grain, vineyards, and olive and almond trees. Small forests of pine and oak are scattered throughout the area. The Segarra-Garrigues canal and the Montblanc-
Tàrrega Tàrrega (, ) is a town and municipality located in the Urgell (comarca), Urgell Comarques of Catalonia, comarca, Province of Lleida, Catalonia. According to the 2020 census (Statistical Institute of Catalonia), the town has a population of It ha ...
highway both bisect the municipality, passing to the west of the town. Today Verdú is known for wine, its traditional black pottery, its historic buildings such as its Castle and the Church of Santa Maria, its notable native St.
Peter Claver Peter Claver (; 26 June 1580 – 8 September 1654) was a Spanish Jesuit priest and missionary born in Verdú, Spain, who, due to his life and work, became the patron saint of slaves, Colombia, and ministry to African Americans. During the 4 ...
, and recently its
toy museum A toy museum is a museum for toys. They typically showcase toys from a particular culture or period with their history. These are distinct from children's museums, which are museums for children, and are often interactive – toy museums may be ...
, that closed in 2013 and was converted to an art gallery.


History

The town is mentioned in a document from 1273. It is believed the name is derived from a Celtic name like ''Virodunum'', meaning a
fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
. It was subject to the
Poblet Poblet Abbey, otherwise the Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet (), is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1151, located at the foot of the Prades Mountains, in the comarca of Conca de Barberà, in Catalonia (Spain). It was founded by Cisterc ...
monastery until 1835. The population of the municipality reached a peak of 2185 in 1887 but has since declined to 1002 in 2013. Its history is marked by its membership the Poblet Monastery for six centuries (from 1227 to 1835). The population before the flood of 1184 was located in Cercavins, the river valley, beside a fountain and around the church of Santa Magdalena. After the flood that devastated three quarters of the old town, the lady and owner of Verdu, Berengaria of Cervera, made the villagers agree to move their houses above the floodplain, around the castle, which had begun to be built a century earlier. In return, the villagers got walls and portals built surrounding the new town. Berengaria's son, Guillem of Cervera, sold the villa in Poblet. Under the auspices of the monastery, Verdú enjoyed many privileges and advantages, which made it succeed more than the surrounding cities, for many centuries. Evidence of this prosperity include the castle, the parish church, the whole streets and stately homes.


Economy

The economy of Verdú is dominated by the town's pottery industry, and agriculture. Its pottery industry traditionally produces water jars, known as
càntir A ''botijo'', also called ''búcaro'' in Spanish, ''càntir'' in Catalan, ''canabarro'' in Galician, ''txongil'' in Basque, and ''boteja'' in Hispanic America, is a traditional porous clay container designed to contain water. The botijo, or wa ...
s, made from black clay. The industry goes back to Roman times and has been documented since the 13th century. It is celebrated annually in the Firacàntir Festival on the last weekend of April. Its agriculture consists mainly of non-irrigated cultivation of grains (
barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...
and
wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
),
grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...
s,
almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...
s and
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
s. A local
agricultural cooperative An agricultural cooperative, also known as a farmers' co-op, is a producer cooperative in which farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activities. A broad typology of agricultural cooperatives distinguishes between agricultural servic ...
produces
olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...
and sends grapes to wineries for
cava (Spanish wine) Cava (, ; , ) is a sparkling wine of ''denominación de origen'' (DO) status from Spain. It may be White wine, white (''blanco'') or rosé (''rosado''). The Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel·lo are the most popular and traditional grape varieties fo ...
. Raising of pigs, cattle, sheep and rabbits is also widely practiced, and the town is an important centre for livestock fairs.


Architecture

The castle is a monumental piece of architecture. It is crowned by a cylindrical tower 25 meters tall and 25 meters in diameter, constructed in 1080. Two rooms are in the romance style of the 11 century. It is the only Catalan Gothic castle that preserves three large naves superimposed on one another. The third gothic room is Copons Abbot, recently restored, and is a Catalan Civil Gothic jewel. Around the courtyard is a gallery, with Renaissance stone steps along the tower. Downstairs, the basement was commissioned by the Verdú Cooperative, the architect being Cesar Martinell, a pupil of Antoni Gaudí, a sample of modernist architecture. The church of Santa Maria can be dated to the late 13th century. The austerity of the Cistercian Order of the self caused it to have a single nave, but population growth led to the gradual enlargement. The image that presides over the altar stone is from the 15tyh century by Andreu Pi. It also led out the door of the sacristy. The work of the altarpiece made the painter Jaume Ferrer, one of the most famous painters in Lleida. Today, the altar is in the Episcopal Museum of Vic. The church was expanded in accordance with the needs of the population was expanded and eventually had three naves, the central one covered with a slightly pointed barrel vault and the two sides ones gibe testimony to the time they were made. Later, the Baroque Purisima, made by Agusti Pujol in 1623, made another, in Barcelona. Another highlight is the apse of the right aisle of the church dedicated to Sant Flavia. The altarpiece disappeared during the Civil War. On the left is the tombstone consecration of the church made in 1586 by the archbishop of Tarragona,
Joan Terès i Borrull Joan Terès i BorrullHis full name is Joan Miquel Terès i Borrull, although his first name has been referenced as Joan, Juan, Jean, Johan, Joannes or Johannes and his Spanish naming customs, first family name as Terès, Terés, Térès or Tere ...
, son of the town. Also the image of St. Christ, the most valuable and most revered image in Verdú is dated from the late 13th or the early 14th century and was implored by the population of Verdú during droughts and epidemics. Also, the paintings that decorate the altar were made by the painter Jaume Minguell in 1955 and 1956. The latest work in the church has been the placement of windows, dedicated to Sant Flavia, St. Peter Claver and St. Hippolytus, in the summer of 2004. The rose window is intended as a tribute to the town.


References


External links


Official website

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verdu Populated places in Urgell Municipalities in Urgell