Santa Maria de Merlès (Officially and in
Catalan; es, Santa MarÃa de Marlés) is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in
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 ...
. It is officially within the
comarca
A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...
of
BerguedÃ
Berguedà () is an inland comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain, lying partly in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, and partly in the Catalan Central Depression.
Geography
The northern half of Berguedà , known as Alt Berguedà (“Upper Berguedà †...
, but traditionally, it is a part of the natural comarca of
Lluçanès. The municipality is located on the ''riera'', or stream, of
Merlès, from which the town takes its name. It is located about 14 kilometers east of
Puig-reig
Puig-reig () is a municipality and town in the comarca of Berguedà , Catalonia. As of 2009, the town had a population of 4,403.
Atop a hill overlooking the Llobregat
The Llobregat () is the second longest river in Catalonia, Spain, after the ...
, and 8 kilometers west of
Prats de Lluçanès, the nearest market town.
The town is divided into two
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
es, Santa Maria (in the Bishopric of
Solsona) to the west of the ''riera'', and Sant Martà (in the Bishopric of
Vic) to the east.
Although the municipality lies within the natural region of
Lluçanès, it voted in 2015 not to join a proposed new comarca of that name, but the plan was put on hold due to insufficient support.
Folklore
The town was traditionally dominated by two important families, the Cortadas and the Vilaltas. Their monumental houses still stand in the municipality. A popular legend offers an explanation for the reconstruction of the Church of Sta. Maria in the 17th century.
An animosity developed between the two families, and in order to anger the patriarch of the Cortada household, the head of the Vilalta family sat one Sunday in the pew reserved for his rival. The patriarch of the Cortadas was so offended that he left church, only to return with a firearm. He killed the head of the Vilaltas in the church and, as a result, the building had to be torn down and rebuilt on the other side of the main road. Later, the patriarch of the Cortadas felt remorse for what he had done, and as penitence erected a chapel dedicated to Saint
Mary Magdalene on his property, beside the main road.
Town festivals
*Festa Major, 15 August
*Festival of Sant Pau de Pinós, Sunday nearest to 8 September
*Festival of Sant MartÃ, 11 November
Sites of interest
*
Romanesque bridge of Sant MartÃ
*Church of Sant Pau de Pinós, begun in the 12th century
*Church of Sant Miquel de Terradelles, from the 12th century
*
Baroque church of Santa Maria de Merlès, from the 17th century
*Ruins of the Castle of Merlès, from the 12th century
*Chapel of Santa Maria Magdalena, with zoomorphic carvings
*Camadoca, a wildlife center dedicated to the native species of the ''Riera de Merlès''. Open to visitors.
References
External links
Town Website
Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Maria De Merles
Municipalities in BerguedÃ