The Fundació Ramon Llull (, English: "Ramon Llull Foundation"), also known by the acronym FRL, is an international organization constituted in 2008 in order to promote the

Catalan language Catalan () is a Western Romance languages, Western Romance language and is the official language of Andorra, and the official language of three autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous communities in eastern Spain: Catalonia, the Balearic I ...

and culture internationally. It was established by the governments of

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. The foundation is named after

Ramon Llull Ramon Llull (; ; – 1316), sometimes anglicized as ''Raymond Lully'', was a philosopher, theologian, poet, missionary, Christian apologist and former knight from the Kingdom of Majorca. He invented a philosophical system known as the ''Art ...

, a medieval writer and philosopher from the Balearic Islands.

Establishment

The foundation was established in 2008 by the governments of Catalonia, Andorra and the Balearic Islands. The foundation's members are the following institutions from countries and regions where

is spoken: the

Government of Andorra The politics of Andorra take place in a framework of a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy, and a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government, with the Head of Government of Andorra as chief executi ...

, the Ramon Llull Institute (through which the governments of Catalonia and the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

participate), the General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales, the city council of

Alghero Alghero (; ; ; ) is a city of about 45,000 inhabitants in the Italian province of Sassari in the north west of the island of Sardinia, next to the Mediterranean Sea. The city's name comes from ''Aleguerium'', which is a mediaeval Latin word m ...

and the Network of Valencian Cities. The foundation is named after

, a medieval writer and philosopher from the Balearic Islands, who is considered the first notable writer in the Catalan language and contributed substantially to its development. In 2009 the representation in the foundation was expanded to cover all Catalan-speaking areas except Franja de Ponent.

Location and structure

FRL headquarters are in

Andorra la Vella Andorra la Vella is the capital and largest city of Andorra. It is located high in the east Pyrenees, between France and Spain. It is also the name of the parishes of Andorra, Andorran parish that surrounds the capital. , the city had a populati ...

, the capital of

. Its president is the

head of government of Andorra The head of government of the Principality of Andorra (), alternatively known as the prime minister of Andorra, is the chief executive of the government of Andorra. They are appointed by the General Council. The position was created in 1982 aft ...

. Since 2022, its director is Andorran Author Teresa Colom.

Activities

The foundation's mission is to promote the Catalan language and culture internationally. The foundation awards a number of prizes: The Ramon Llull International Award is awarded jointly with the Fundació Congrés de Cultura Catalana. Notable recipients include Dominic Keown (2023), Mary Ann Newman (2022), Joseph Lo Bianco (2021), Christer Laurén (2018), Kathryn Woolard (2016). The foundation also presents an award for the best translation of a literary work from Catalan to any other language, and an honorary award to a person who has played a role in the dissemination of Catalan culture. Lastly, the FRL awards the Ramon Llull Catalan Literature Prize (Premi de les Lletres Catalanes Ramon Llull), awarded to a novel written in Catalan.

References

External links

Ramon Llull Institute Official Web Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fundacio Ramon Llull Culture of Andorra Culture of the Balearic Islands Culture of Catalonia Culture of the Valencian Community Foundations based in Andorra Catalan advocacy organizations Organizations established in 2008 2008 establishments in Andorra