Sagàs

Sagàs
Municipality
Church of Sant Andreu.
Coat of arms
Location in Berguedà
Sagàs Location in Catalonia Show map of Province of Barcelona Sagàs Sagàs (Spain) Show map of Spain
Coordinates: 42°02′17″N 1°58′19″E / 42.038°N 1.972°E / 42.038; 1.972
Country	Spain
Community	Catalonia
Province	Barcelona
Comarca	Berguedà
Government
• Mayor	Silvia Triola Costa (2015)[1] (AES)
Area [2]
• Total	44.6 km2 (17.2 sq mi)
Elevation	738 m (2,421 ft)
Population  (2018)[3]
• Total	161
• Density	3.6/km2 (9.3/sq mi)
Demonym	Saganès
Website	www.sagas.cat

Sagàs is a small town and municipality located in Catalonia, in the comarca of Berguedà. It is located in the geographical area of the pre-Pyrenees.

Population

Sagàs is essentially a collection of farmhouses, or masies, separated by low wooded ridges and cultivated fields. The municipality is made up of five separate villages (Sant Andreu de Sagàs, El Carrer de Bonaire, Biure de Berguedà, La Guàrdia de Sagàs, and Valloriola) and two parishes (Sant Andreu de Sagàs and Santa Maria de la Guàrdia). Traditionally, the people of Sagàs made their living from agriculture. While this is still true for most of the inhabitants of Sagàs, the increased mechanization of farming has led to a growth in rural tourism, as well as a drop in population—the town has a growth rate of negative 10.4 percent.^[4]

Coat of arms

Although Sagàs has no coat of arms officially recognized by the

Celebrations

The festa major or "town festival" is held on November 30, the

• Church of Sant Andreu (Saint Andrew). This structure has origins in a church dedicated to Saint Andrew from the 11th century. The current church was built in the Romanesque style. It has a typical basilican floor-plan, with three naves, each crowned separately by a semi-circular apse. The church was heavily modified in the 15th century, with major interior changes as well as the addition of the present bell-tower. The altar is also famous. Beginning in 1970, a number of locals started a movement to restore the church to its original 11th-century appearance. It stands today restored.^[6]
• Church of Sant Esteve de Valldoriola
• Chapel of
  Santa Margarida de Sagàs, built in the 10th century or earlier.^[6]
• Chapel of Sant Jordi, a small chapel dedicated to Saint George
• Church of
  Sant Martí de Biure, a 10th-century Romanesque church.^[6]
• Church of Santa Maria de la Guàrdia, and its famous statue of the Virgin Mary. Located on a hill over the Llobregat valley, it is a well known for its vistas.
• Ruins of the Tower of Sagàs, a small fortress from the 5th century.^[6]

History

Before the arrival of the

It seems Sagàs has always been a farming town, with little strategic importance, although a small castle (about three metres by six metres at the base) was built there between the tenth and twelfth centuries.[6]

In 1994, Sagàs was ravaged by wildfires that burnt much of the comarques of Berguedà and Bages;^[12] much of the forest that once characterized the town was lost, and the town's farms were dealt a serious blow.

References