Castellgalí

Iberian period:

The first signs of population were found in Boades, which was initially an Iberian settlement between the 6th and 1st centuries BC. An Iberian settlement existed at Puig del Castel between the 4th and 1st centuries BC. The location of the settlement of Boades between the Llobregat and Cardener rivers allowed its inhabitants to farm successfully on the fertile land, which led to a surplus and export of cereals. There were also olive trees and vineyards. The terrain was also favorable for hunting. The settlement was located in the area of Cal Roc near a meander of the Llobregat.

Roman period:

With the arrival of the Romans, the Iberian settlement of Puig del Castell was progressively abandoned, while the settlement of Boades was reconfigured as a Roman village and acted as a strategic commercial centre since it was located on the trade routes coming from the Llobregat and Cardener rivers. Several important funerary monuments were also erected during this period, such as the Torre del Breny and the Roman tomb of Boades. The Breny tower was a monumental Roman sepulchre in the form of a temple, partly dismantled in 1870 to allow its stones to be used for a nearby dam. The Roman tomb at Boades, on the other hand, is located about 100 metres south of the Roman villa and was built during the 3rd century. It is considered a prototype of Roman funerary practices in Catalonia. Material extracted from archaeological excavations in the area is currently housed in the Manresa regional museum.

Middle Ages:

The beginnings of the village coincide with those of its castle. A document from 867 mentions the Castelo de Galindo (Galindo Castle), attesting to the origin of the place's name. Little is known about the history of this castle, now in ruins. The first lords of the castle and the area were the Galí family. In 1178, the castle was sold, along with its lordship, to King Alfonso II of Aragon by Sibila, who was most probably a descendant of the Galí lineage. After the purchase, King Alfonso I handed it over to feudatories. During the period in which Castellgalí was a royal property, it was governed by castlans, vassals of the king. They took the name Castellgalí as their surname, thus inaugurating a new dynasty. At the end of this period, the Black Death affected Castellgalí, leaving many farmhouses empty and causing the death of the last castlans: Berenguer de Castellgalí, and shortly afterwards his wife Guilleuma de Rocafort I Castellet. In 1350, Peter the Ceremonious sold it to Bernat Torres for 8,000 sous. The latter's son, Dalmau Torres, sold it in 1413 to Luis de Rajadell, the younger brother of the Lord of Rajadell. At the beginning of the Catalan Civil War, the lord of Castellgalí, Manel de Rajadell, left the village because he was a supporter of Juan II. Thus the lordship was temporarily ceded to the monastery of Montserrat. It is believed that the castle was destroyed during this war, between 1462 and 1472.

Modern times:

In the 18th century there was a great expansion of vine cultivation due to demographic expansion and the creation of the rabassa morta rental contract (until the death of the vineyards), which allowed Catellgalí to consolidate its nucleus. It was during this period that the old quarter acquired the urban configuration that still remains today, a fact that can be seen by looking at the years engraved on the lintels of the houses in the village, where in addition to the year of construction of the house, you can sometimes see the engravings that announced the services offered (a horseshoe, a loaf of bread and a knife...), as well as in the popular names given to the houses (such as Cal Ferrer, Casa del Herrero, the blacksmith's house). The old quarter was born around the royal road, the inn and the church. When the constitution of 1812 eliminated feudal duties, its last feudal lords were the Amigants, Marquises of Fonollar. The Despujol, Marquises of Palmerola, were the last noble family to buy the Amigant properties.

Contemporary age:

The convulsive 19th century also marked Castellgalí, from the war of independence through the three Carlist wars, but it was also the century when the new cemetery was created (1892), the church was expanded (1897), the railway arrived (1859) and so did a telegraph antenna (1887). In this period of change and conflict, when manorial rights were extinguished, the last Spanish colonies were lost and constant wars ravaged the country, Castellgalí was considered a safe place, a refuge for the troops. It was a place of refuge for the Sometents against the French, Carlist and Liberal troops, and was a place of passage for all of them. In this century, the first factories were set up (1816 Barrera textile mill, 1860 Cots, 1896 Sant Jaume and 1898 Carbons Elèctrics) that would shape the Castellgalí of the 20th century.

The industrialisation of Castellgalí, which began in the 19th century, meant that the population grew until the end of the 1970s, except during the years of the Civil War. This conflict ravaged the population, and was felt in the loss of movable heritage, mainly ecclesiastical, such as the destruction of the 17th century altarpieces of the church of San Miguel and Santa Margarita, the silver urns from the same century, with the mortal remains of Saint Honestus and San Repelión or the destruction of the figure of San Miguel.

The population decreased until the mid-1990s, when the population began to grow to its present-day levels. It is also worth mentioning the birth of the residential area of Mas Planoi, in four zones. An area of single-family houses took its name from the farmhouse that has been there since at least the 15th century. At present, it continues to expand with the recent urbanisation of Ca l'Enric de Calafell in 2022.

Dentro del término municipal se encuentran los restos de un antiguo sepulcro romano conocido como la Torre del Breny. Se trata de una construcción del siglo III del que solo quedan restos de su base. Era una edificación de planta cuadrada de notables dimensiones (unos 10 m de lado), cubierta con bóveda a modo de templo. En uno de sus lados se encontraba un relieve que representaba la figura de una mujer desnuda. A sus lados se podían ver dos leones. Se trata del principal resto de la época romana de la comarca. Fue parcialmente destruido en 1870 para aprovechar sus piedras en la construcción de una pequeña presa en el río.

No muy lejos está el sepulcro de Boades. También del siglo III aunque de construcción mucho más rústica, de planta cuadrada de 5,10 por 4,60 m y cubierta a dos vertientes. En las excavaciones de la tumba se hallaron también restos de una antigua necrópolis íbera. Los hallazgos de la excavación se conservan en el Museo Comarcal de Manresa.

El núcleo antiguo se organizó alrededor de la iglesia, dedicada a San Miguel. Se trata de una construcción del siglo XVII que fue ampliada en 1897 gracias a las aportaciones económicas de la familia Magí Pladellorens. Es de estilo gótico de imitación y en su interior se encontraban unas imágenes del santo, realizadas por el escultor Josep Llimona. Fueron destruidas en 1936.

No queda ningún vestigio del castillo. Sí se conservan las ruinas de la antigua capilla dedicada a Santa María y que aparece documentada en 1292. Se pueden ver resto del ábside y de algunos de sus muros.

En la casa Amigant, antiguo hostal de origen gótico, se encuentra el museo municipal de carácter etnológico. Se muestra algunas piezas arqueológicas y de uso diario, destinadas a ilustrar la vida del pueblo a lo largo de los siglos. Fue inaugurado en 1991.

El término municipal incluye, además del núcleo antiguo, otros siete núcleos de población. Destaca la antigua urbanización Mas Planoi. Fue construida a principios de la década de 1970 como zona de veraneo pero se ha ido convirtiendo en el núcleo más poblado de todo Castellgalí.​

El barrio de La Fàbrica está situado a ambos lados de la carretera que une Castellgalí con Manresa. Durante el siglo XIX sirvió como alojamiento de los trabajadores de la antigua fábrica textil de Can Carné que ya no está en funcionamiento. En el valle de Artigues hay diversas masías. En esta zona se encuentran los restos de la ermita de Santa Margarida del Pla. Es de origen medieval y aparece ya en documentos del siglo XIII. Se cree que funcionó durante un tiempo como monasterio hasta que se fusionó en el siglo XIV con el de Santa Catarina de Manresa.

Los otros núcleos que componen el término municipal son els Torrents, Can Font y las urbanizaciones Torre del Breny y Raval de Boades.

Castellgalí celebra su fiesta mayor el primer fin de semana de agosto. El primer fin de semana de mayo se celebra la fiesta del panellet. El tercer fin de semana del mes de febrero se conmemora el día de los santos patronos del pueblo: sant Honest y sant Repel·lio.

Aquí nació Joan Cadevall i Diars, botánico y geógrafo.

•Puigcerdà - Montserrat (GR 4, 163.64 km)

•Camí Oliba (GR 151, 239.54 km)

•Sender de Manresa (PR-C 130, 36.03 km)

•Camí de Sant Jaume (Sant Pere de Rodes - Montserrat)

•De Sant Vicenç de Castellet a Sant Pere de Vallhonesta (SL-C 53, 6.800 km)

•A Sant Jaume de Vallhonesta pel camí dels Maquis (SL-C 61, 5.900 km)

•M2 - Itinerari La riera de Rajadell (M2, 18.6 km)

•M3 - Itinerari Els pous de glaç i la riera de Guardiola (M3, 9.4 km)

•M5 - Itinerari Els cingles del Llobregat (M5, 8 km)

•M4 - Itinerari Del Cardener al Llobregat (M4, 14.72 km)

•Camí Ignasià Català 7: Montserrat - Manresa (24.6 km)

•Camí Ral de Barcelona a Manresa (CR-BM)

•Joan Cadevall i Diars

•Cristòfol Gimeno Iglesias, político de España

•Àngel Planell i Oller

Web oficial: https://www.castellgali.cat