Jacint Verdaguer i Santaló (; 17 May 1845 – 10 June 1902) was a Catalan writer, regarded as one of the greatest poets of Catalan literature and a prominent literary figure of the

Renaixença The ''Renaixença'' (; also written ''Renaixensa'' before spelling standardisation), or Catalan Renaissance, was a romantic revivalist movement in Catalan language and culture through the mid 19th century, akin to the Galician '' Rexurdimento ...

, a cultural revival movement of the late Romantic era. The bishop

Josep Torras i Bages Josep Torras i Bages (), born at Les Cabanyes, Alt Penedès, on 12 September 1846, died at Vic, Osona, on 7 February 1916, was a Catalan thinker, writer, and bishop. He was one of the main figures in the turn of the 20th century Catholic Catala ...

, one of the main figures of

Catalan nationalism Catalan nationalism promotes the idea that the Catalan people form a distinct nation and national identity. A related term is Catalanism (, ), which is more related to Regionalism (politics), regionalism and tends to have a wider meaning, most pe ...

, called him the "Prince of Catalan poets". He was also known as ''mossèn'' (Father) Cinto Verdaguer, because of his career as a priest, and informally also simply "mossèn Cinto" (with Cinto being a short form of Jacint).

Life

He was born in

Folgueroles Folgueroles () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Osona in Catalonia, Spain. It was the birthplace in 1845 of the famous Catalan poet Fr. Jacint Verdaguer Jacint Verdaguer i Santaló (; 17 May 1845 – 10 June 1902) was a Catalan writ ...

, a town on the

Plain of Vic The Plain of Vic (Catalan language, Catalan ''Plana de Vic'') is a 30 km long Depression (geology), depression located at the eastern end of the Catalan Central Depression in the Osona comarca. It is named after the town of Vic, Spain, Vic, a ...

, in the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) 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, mark ...

'' of

Osona Osona () is a comarques of Catalonia, comarca situated in the Central Catalonia, central region of Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Vic, Spain, Vic. Its population in 2001 was 129,543. Osona covers roughly the same area as the historic Catalan co ...

(

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 .Tavèrnoles Tavèrnoles () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Osona in Catalonia, Spain. An altar frontal from Tavèrnoles is conserved at the National Art Museum of Catalonia, in Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast o ...

, 1817 –

, 1876), was a brickmason and farmer. His mother, Josepa Santaló i Planes (

, 1819–1871), a housewife and farmer, was to exercise great influence over young Jacint, as she conveyed to him a love of literature, especially poetry, and was a deeply religious woman. He was the third of eight children, only three of whom survived. In 1855, at the age of 10, he entered the

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

Vic Vic, vic or VIC may refer to: People and fictional characters * Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name * V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper Places * Vic, Spain, a town and ...

, as was expected for a child who was not the first-born under the system of

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

and had to make his livelihood without relying on an inheritance. Until then, he had lived like the other children in his town. The anecdotes told about him show that he stood out from his peers for his intelligence, astuteness and courage, as well as his athletic constitution. He displayed a balanced attitude without any apparent religious inclinations. In 1863, when he was 18, he started to work as a tutor for a family at the Can Tona

masia A masia in Catalan (or and ) is a type of rural construction common to the east of Spain: Catalonia, Valencian Community, Aragon, Languedoc and Provence (in the south of France). The estate in which the masia is located is called a mas. They ...

(where he also helped out on the farm), while he continued to study. Can Tona is in the municipal district of Sant Martí de Riudeperes, today

Calldetenes ; ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Osona in Catalonia. The Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand ...

(

). In 1864, while a seminary student at the , Verdaguer wrote his first published poem ''Als estudiants. Recepta'', written in the style of a satirical

décima A décima is a ten-line stanza of poetry. The most popular form is called décima espinela after Vicente Espinel (1550–1624), a Spanish writer, poet, and musician from the Spanish Golden Age who used it extensively throughout his compositions. T ...

. He was influenced in this endeavour by the popularity of a similar satirical décima, ''Entusiasme d'un estudiant per la cresta'' written by fellow seminary student

Andreu Garriga Andreu Garriga (also known as Andrew Garriga) (December 19, 1843, Vic, Osona, Spain – March 27, 1915, San Luis Obispo, California) was a Catalan-American Roman Catholic priest, poet, and writer. Garriga is best known for his role in the early ...

in 1863. That same year, he participated in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Jocs Florals Floral Games were any of a series of historically related poetry contests with floral prizes. In Occitan, their original language, and Catalan they are known as (, ; modern or ). In French, they became the (), and in Basque (). The origina ...

("Floral Games") poetry contest, though without distinction. However, he was more successful in the next two Jocs Florals, winning four prizes in 1865 and two in 1866. In the late 1860s, Verdaguer would become the central figure of the , a group of young poets in Vic inspired by the ideals of the Catalan

. On 24 September 1870 he was ordained a priest by the bishop Lluís Jordà in

, and in October that same year, he said his first Mass, in the

Sant Jordi Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

hermitage. The next day he said his second Mass in the Sant Francesc hermitage near Vic. In 1871, his mother died (January 17) at the age of 52. On September 1 he was appointed bishop

coadjutor The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

of the small town of Vinyoles d'Orís and three days later he took up his charge. In 1873, he published the ''cant'' (ode or song) "Passió de Nostre Senyor Jesucrist" (Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ). He left Vinyoles d'Orís for health reasons and moved to

. He went on a trip to

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...

and saw the mountain, El

Canigó The Canigó ( , ; ; ) is a mountain located in the Pyrenees of southern France. The Canigó is located less than from the sea and has an elevation of . Due to its sharp flanks and its dramatic location near the coast, until the 18th century t ...

, possibly for the first time. In December, he joined the Companyia Transatlàntica trans-Atlantic steamship company as a chaplain because he was prescribed sea air for his health; he embarked in

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

bound for

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, Jacint Verdaguer finished his epic poem ''L'Atlàntida''. In November he entered the palace of Antonio López, 1st Marquess of Comillas as an

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' come ...

chaplain. In 1877, when he was 32, and having returned from his journey, the jury of the

awarded him the special prize of the Diputation of

for ''

L'Atlàntida ''L'Atlàntida'' () is an 1877 poem in Catalan by Jacint Verdaguer. It consists of an introduction, ten books, and a conclusion, dealing with the wanderings of Heracles in the Iberian Peninsula, the sinking of the continent of Atlantis, the cre ...

''. Now he had earned his reputation as a poet. In 1878, he traveled to Rome, where he was granted an audience with Pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...

. They discussed Verdaguer's poem ''L'Atlàntida''. In 1880, as the winner of three prizes in the

, he was proclaimed "Master of the Gay Sciences" (''Mestre en Gai Saber''). That same year he published his book of poetry, ''

Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...

'', which included "Llegenda de Montserrat", a legend (or two) in the form of a poem with 13 cantos. In 1883, the Barcelona City Council published a print-run of a hundred thousand copies of his "Oda a Barcelona" (Ode to Barcelona), a 46-stanza poem. Such a print-run was quite a remarkable given that the population of Barcelona at the time was 350,000, which would have amounted to about a copy per household. At the age of 39, Verdaguer traveled to Paris,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, Germany and Russia. His collection of poems ''Caritat'' (''Charity'', 1885) was published to raise funds for reconstruction after the

Andalusian earthquake of 25 December 1884 The 1884 Andalusian earthquake () occurred on 25 December 1884 at 9:08 p.m in the south of Spain, and had an estimated magnitude of 6.7 . It shook a poor region where many of the houses were built without foundations, with lime or mud mortar, and ...

. On 21 March 1886, when he was 41 years old, Bishop Morgades crowned him 'Poet of Catalonia' in the monastery of

Ripoll Ripoll () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Ripollès, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is located on confluence of the Ter river and its tributary Freser, next to the Pyrenees near the border of France. The population was 11 ...

. He published the epic poem ''

'' and made a pilgrimage to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

. In 1893, following controversy about aspects of his work as a priest, he left the post of alms chaplain at Claudio López, 2nd Marquess of Comillas’ palace. The publication of the trilogy ''Jesús Infant'' was completed, and he was assigned to the sanctuary of La Gleva. For a period, he was stripped of his office as priest, although this was eventually restored. In 1894, the books ''Roser de tot l'any'' and ''Veus del bon pastor'' were published. On 31 March he left the sanctuary of La Gleva. On 17 May 1902, his 57th birthday, he moved from his home at Carrer Aragó 235 in Barcelona to the country house known as

Vil·la Joana Viŀla Joana is a masia located in Vallvidrera (Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district, Barcelona) in the middle of Collserola Natural Park. It is a two storey building with a watchtower and lateral galleries. One of its most distinctive elements is the c ...

, in

Vallvidrera Vallvidrera () is a neighbourhood of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district of Barcelona, Spain. It is situated in one of the sides of the Collserola hills, considered to be the lungs of the city due to the abundant forests it has. This wealthy neigh ...

(Barcelona), where he hoped to convalesce. On 10 June he died in Vil·la Joana, which is now one of the

Barcelona City History Museum The Museum of the History of Barcelona (, MUHBA) is a history museum that conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the historical heritage of the city of Barcelona, from its origins in Roman times until the present day. The museum's headq ...

(MUHBA) heritage sites. Verdaguer was buried in

Montjuïc Cemetery Montjuïc Cemetery, known in Catalan as Cementiri del Sud-oest or Cementiri de Montjuïc, is located on one of the rocky slopes of Montjuïc hill in Barcelona. History It was opened on 17 March 1883 by the city of Barcelona as its main cemeter ...

in Barcelona. He was depicted on the Spanish 1971 500 Pesetas banknote.

Selected works

Among his works are: * ''

'' (Atlantis, 1876), epic poem * '' Idil·lis i cants místics'' (Idylls and Mystic Songs, 1879), book of poems * ''

'' (1880, 1899), book of poems on the topic of Montserrat * ''"

A Barcelona "A Barcelona" is a poem by Jacint Verdaguer, published in 1883. It is a triumphant song of the transformation undergone by Barcelona since the mid-19th century. Consisting of 46 quatrains of Alexandrine verses, and a re-editing process started i ...

"'' ("To Barcelona", 1883), ode in 46 stanzas * ''Caritat'' (Charity, 1885) * ''

'' (1886), epic poem * ''

Sant Francesc Sant may refer to: People * Alfred Sant (born 1948), Maltese politician * Andrew Sant (born 1950), English-born Australian poet * David Sant (born 1968), Catalan director, actor and writer * Indira Sant (1914–2000), Indian poet * James San ...

'' (Saint Francis, 1895) * '' Flors del Calvari'' (Flowers of Calvary, 1896) The scenic cantata ''Atlàntida'', composed by

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20t ...

and completed after de Falla's death by

Ernesto Halffter Ernesto Halffter Escriche (16 January 19055 July 1989) was a Spanish composer and conductor. He was the brother of Rodolfo Halffter and part of the ''Grupo de los Ocho'' (), which formed a sub-set of the ''Generation of '27''. Early years Ernes ...

, is based on Verdaguer's ''

''. Manuel de Falla considered this large-scale orchestral piece to be the most important of all his works. Some of his shorter poems are well known as songs in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, especially "L'Emigrant" ("Sweet Catalonia, country of my heart...").

Bibliography

Verdaguer's works are collected in English in: * ''Selected Poems of Jacint Verdaguer: A Bilingual Edition'', edited and translated by Ronald Puppo, with an introduction by Ramon Pinyol i Torrents, University of Chicago Press, 2007, 339 pp. (), ()

References

General references

*This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the Catalan-language Wikipedia, which was accessed in the versions of December 21, 2005 and February 2016.

External links

*
Jacint Verdaguer
at the Association of Writers in the Catalan Language website, with a biography , and a complete bibliography, a brief anthology (excerpts), a collection of articles of literary criticism on his work, etc. in Catalan.
About Jacint Verdaguer and his place in Catalan literature
in ''Visat'', a digital journal on literature and translation by the Catalan Chapter of

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

. ''Visat'' No. 10, October 2010.
Jacint Verdaguer i Santaló
''

Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana The (English: the ''Great Catalan Encyclopedia'') is a Catalan language, Catalan-language encyclopedia, started in fascicles, and published in 1968 by . The soul of the work was written by Max Cahner, and the first director was Jordi Carbonell. ...

''
VERDAGUER'S HOUSE MUSEUM
in

, near

Vil·la Joana
, a

Collserola The Serra de Collserola (), or simply Collserola, is a mountain range between the rivers Besòs and Llobregat. It is part of the Catalan Coastal Range. These mountains separate Barcelona from the Vallès plain and their tallest peak is the Ti ...

forming part of the