The City
History of the city
A CITY FULL OF HISTORY
Manresa is a thousand-year-old city which, in its streets and monuments, has preserved the imprint of a history with four high-points, coinciding with the most representative periods in the history of Catalonia.
THE GOTHIC CITY
During the 13th and 14th centuries (time when cities were expanding all over Europe), Manresa was transformed into one of the most prosperous cities in Catalonia. A new wall was built; three big churches were built: La Seu, presiding over the city like a cathedral, El Carme and Sant Pere Màrtir; two bridges were built, together with the great work of the Sèquia, bringing water from the Llobregat to Manresa. Traces of this medieval Manresa are still quite visible in the streets of the old quarter, which have preserved the old irregular, tortuous street pattern. Also from this period come the so-called Manresa ceramics, one of the most important collections of decorated medieval pottery, preserved in the County Museum.
SAINT IGNATIUS AND THE BAROQUE PERIOD
Years after Ignatius de Loyola stayed in Manresa, the city became impregnated with the legacy of Ignatius and the Jesuits. In the 17th and 18th centuries, with a powerful silk industry, it once again became a leading city. An impressive, monumental building (Saint Ignatius' Cave) was built in memory of the saint. Many sculptors' studios worked to build altarpieces for churches (they can now be seen in the County Museum, where there is the most complete collection in Catalonia). The lesser nobility and bourgeoisie built the typical Baroque mansions that can still be seen today.
INDUSTRIAL AND MODERNIST MANRESA
Throughout the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, the Rivers Llobregat and Cardener became the main industrial centres of the country. A prosperous group of industrialists appeared, promoting the construction of a modern extension to the city. This new, bright, elegant Manresa was structured around the Passeig, which became the residential area for the bourgeoisie and an area for relaxation for all the people of the city. They are the lively streets of commercial Manresa, with an extensive, splendid sample of Modernist buildings, such as the Casino, the Lluvià House of the Buresa.
Manresa is a thousand-year-old city which, in its streets and monuments, has preserved the imprint of a history with four high-points, coinciding with the most representative periods in the history of Catalonia.
THE GOTHIC CITY
During the 13th and 14th centuries (time when cities were expanding all over Europe), Manresa was transformed into one of the most prosperous cities in Catalonia. A new wall was built; three big churches were built: La Seu, presiding over the city like a cathedral, El Carme and Sant Pere Màrtir; two bridges were built, together with the great work of the Sèquia, bringing water from the Llobregat to Manresa. Traces of this medieval Manresa are still quite visible in the streets of the old quarter, which have preserved the old irregular, tortuous street pattern. Also from this period come the so-called Manresa ceramics, one of the most important collections of decorated medieval pottery, preserved in the County Museum.
SAINT IGNATIUS AND THE BAROQUE PERIOD
Years after Ignatius de Loyola stayed in Manresa, the city became impregnated with the legacy of Ignatius and the Jesuits. In the 17th and 18th centuries, with a powerful silk industry, it once again became a leading city. An impressive, monumental building (Saint Ignatius' Cave) was built in memory of the saint. Many sculptors' studios worked to build altarpieces for churches (they can now be seen in the County Museum, where there is the most complete collection in Catalonia). The lesser nobility and bourgeoisie built the typical Baroque mansions that can still be seen today.
INDUSTRIAL AND MODERNIST MANRESA
Throughout the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, the Rivers Llobregat and Cardener became the main industrial centres of the country. A prosperous group of industrialists appeared, promoting the construction of a modern extension to the city. This new, bright, elegant Manresa was structured around the Passeig, which became the residential area for the bourgeoisie and an area for relaxation for all the people of the city. They are the lively streets of commercial Manresa, with an extensive, splendid sample of Modernist buildings, such as the Casino, the Lluvià House of the Buresa.
