Els Hostalets de Pierola is a Spanish municipality situated in the
Autonomous Community
eu, autonomia erkidegoa
ca, comunitat autònoma
gl, comunidade autónoma
oc, comunautat autonòma
an, comunidat autonoma
ast, comunidá autónoma
, alt_name =
, map =
, category = Autonomous administra ...
of
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
,
province of Barcelona
Barcelona (, ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The province is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea. Its area is .Alfonso II of Aragon to Asbert of Mediona. In 1698 Pau Ignasi of Dalmases bought the barony of Pierola. Afterwards it remained in the hands of the Fontcuberta family who kept it until the end of the
manorialism
Manorialism, also known as the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes forti ...
The municipality became internationally famous because of the 2002 discovery of a
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...
, the '' Pierolapithecus catalaunicus'', a fossil of great interest for human evolution. The genus was named after the municipality.
Main sights
The church of the municipality is dedicated to
Saint Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupat ...
(Sant Pere) and was constructed in 1852 in the place in which an ancient Roman temple was found. The church of Pierola, also dedicated to Saint Peter, is of Roman origin and appears in documents from 1060. Near the border with the municipality of
Collbató
Collbató () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the southern slopes of Montserrat. The area has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC, as shown by Neolithic remains found in caves a ...
( Baix Llobregat comarca), a hermitage, also Roman, dedicated to Saint Christopher of Canyelles was described as early as 1033.
Events
Els Hostalets de Pierola celebrates its major festival in July. In September a festival of wine takes place.
Economy
The principal economic activity is dryland farming, especially cereal and wine. There are also small industries.
Currently, as a consequence of the political development under the former mayor Pedro Barbado ( PSC), this municipality has one of the most important sites of trash and other storage in all of Catalonia, which is now one of the major sources of income for the municipality.