Abadia - English
THE ABBEY
For many years, the Abbey, or Rectory, located near the church has been and continues to be the residence of the rectors of the Parish of Arbeca and boasts a history linked to the town’s cultural and religious traditions. The old building was constructed during the 16th century, with occasional partial renovations. It was demolished and rebuilt in the early 1970s to make better use of the spaces and also employ it for other cultural, recreational, and social activities.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the Abbey, like many religious or church-related spaces, was impacted by the ideological tensions of the time and was occupied by the revolutionary committee which used it as a shelter for dozens of refugees, mostly from Andalusia and Extremadura, who came to the town fleeing Franco's repression.
Once the war was over and the dictatorship had become established, the building regained its religious function. During the initial years, most of the chaplains and the Catholic hierarchy supported the Franco regime, as they believed that it had rid them of the Republic that they considered an anticlerical regime. In the 1950s, with the new dynamic promoted by Father Josep Aguiló, the Abbey began to be conceived as more of a people's space, open to the entire population and hosting religious, but also social and cultural activities. Sardana dance groups, traditional Catalan dance groups, folklore clubs, football teams, and more were organized in this venue.
In the 1960s, especially with the arrival of Father Anton Bru as rector of the parish and vicars such as Joan Maria Cabé, Salvador Figueres, and Manel Borges, the Abbey became the centre of social, cultural, and political activity in the town. Their commitment to the ideals of justice and freedom compelled them to support a series of activities, debates, meetings, and educational actions, under their protection and often in confrontation with church hierarchy, that represented a breath of fresh air in the face of the numbness imposed by the Francoist authorities. During this period, the magazine Impuls was published by mimeograph, which compiled news of local interest and presented articles on Arbeca's history, customs, and traditions. Above all, the magazine was a means for reflection on political, religious, and social issues.
The Abbey was then opened to hold children's and youth activities and became a space to share the political and social concerns that emerged at that time. Many of these actions were clandestine and helped keep alive the anti-Franco resistance at the local level and the democratic and Catalan consciousness of a large part of the population. In 1969, under the protection of the parish, and especially the vicar Salvador Figueres, the Route to Poblet was organized for 17 young people, and a manifesto was drafted that was distributed throughout the houses in the town regarding the need for democratizing local institutions. This content displeased the authorities at the time and the two priests who were believed to have promoted the manifesto were penalized with 20,000 peseta fines while the young people who participated were fined 5,000 pesetas.
Between 1970 and 1980, thanks to the public service work of many townspeople, the Abbey played an important role in offering its spaces to replace sites that the municipality could not offer. It housed a clothing workshop, rooms for rehearsing sardana dances and theatre, the municipal library, a nursery school, overnight stays for schoolchildren and scouts, a music school, Catalan lessons, an exhibition hall, and more.
At the end of the Franco regime, as well as during the democratic transition, it hosted many meetings and gatherings of political and social organizations and was also visited by several leaders and demonstrators with the Freedom March in September 1976. In the new conference room, several Cultural Week activities were held in which the main political and social leaders of the time participated.
In 2017, an agreement was signed for the transfer of the room by the Parish of Saint James to the City Council of Arbeca. In 2021, after the renovation of the building was completed and it was adapted to current needs, the Abbey was consolidated as the main space for cultural, social, and political events in Arbeca. Since then, regular cultural programmes have been held every year.
For many years, the Abbey, or Rectory, located near the church has been and continues to be the residence of the rectors of the Parish of Arbeca and boasts a history linked to the town’s cultural and religious traditions. The old building was constructed during the 16th century, with occasional partial renovations. It was demolished and rebuilt in the early 1970s to make better use of the spaces and also employ it for other cultural, recreational, and social activities.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the Abbey, like many religious or church-related spaces, was impacted by the ideological tensions of the time and was occupied by the revolutionary committee which used it as a shelter for dozens of refugees, mostly from Andalusia and Extremadura, who came to the town fleeing Franco's repression.
Once the war was over and the dictatorship had become established, the building regained its religious function. During the initial years, most of the chaplains and the Catholic hierarchy supported the Franco regime, as they believed that it had rid them of the Republic that they considered an anticlerical regime. In the 1950s, with the new dynamic promoted by Father Josep Aguiló, the Abbey began to be conceived as more of a people's space, open to the entire population and hosting religious, but also social and cultural activities. Sardana dance groups, traditional Catalan dance groups, folklore clubs, football teams, and more were organized in this venue.
In the 1960s, especially with the arrival of Father Anton Bru as rector of the parish and vicars such as Joan Maria Cabé, Salvador Figueres, and Manel Borges, the Abbey became the centre of social, cultural, and political activity in the town. Their commitment to the ideals of justice and freedom compelled them to support a series of activities, debates, meetings, and educational actions, under their protection and often in confrontation with church hierarchy, that represented a breath of fresh air in the face of the numbness imposed by the Francoist authorities. During this period, the magazine Impuls was published by mimeograph, which compiled news of local interest and presented articles on Arbeca's history, customs, and traditions. Above all, the magazine was a means for reflection on political, religious, and social issues.
The Abbey was then opened to hold children's and youth activities and became a space to share the political and social concerns that emerged at that time. Many of these actions were clandestine and helped keep alive the anti-Franco resistance at the local level and the democratic and Catalan consciousness of a large part of the population. In 1969, under the protection of the parish, and especially the vicar Salvador Figueres, the Route to Poblet was organized for 17 young people, and a manifesto was drafted that was distributed throughout the houses in the town regarding the need for democratizing local institutions. This content displeased the authorities at the time and the two priests who were believed to have promoted the manifesto were penalized with 20,000 peseta fines while the young people who participated were fined 5,000 pesetas.
Between 1970 and 1980, thanks to the public service work of many townspeople, the Abbey played an important role in offering its spaces to replace sites that the municipality could not offer. It housed a clothing workshop, rooms for rehearsing sardana dances and theatre, the municipal library, a nursery school, overnight stays for schoolchildren and scouts, a music school, Catalan lessons, an exhibition hall, and more.
At the end of the Franco regime, as well as during the democratic transition, it hosted many meetings and gatherings of political and social organizations and was also visited by several leaders and demonstrators with the Freedom March in September 1976. In the new conference room, several Cultural Week activities were held in which the main political and social leaders of the time participated.
In 2017, an agreement was signed for the transfer of the room by the Parish of Saint James to the City Council of Arbeca. In 2021, after the renovation of the building was completed and it was adapted to current needs, the Abbey was consolidated as the main space for cultural, social, and political events in Arbeca. Since then, regular cultural programmes have been held every year.