Bloc Artístic

Here you can see my attempt at photography. What better way to express my art than through the heritage of the people I love most. Llagostera has an exceptional beauty both in its Roman-Gothic structures and in its natural landscapes.

[mjrarthystic]

As we had commented in the previous post. There are many stories inside the prison that have never been discovered. Many others have been invented by joggers and comedians. And then there are the conspiracies of the other peoples who wanted to perpetrate the history of our people.

Some of the stories are disturbing, others horrifying, some tragic, and some also funny. One of the most told ones had to do with a mayor from the last century. It is said that in the prison, which was already disabled, there were drug exchanges between the town council and criminals. Nobody could verify this story, but considering the censorship that existed and the power of the authority, it would not seem strange.

A slightly more tragic one was the day a man decided to commit suicide with a rope. The body was found days later by the rotten smell coming from the prison.

A funny anecdote that is told is that the prisoners were taking a dump in the hole in the third photograph. The people of the village already knew that, however the tourists when they approached the tower received the gift of a boring and comical prisoner.

[mjrarthystic]

This is the prison tower of Llagostera. Since the whole structure of what is now the town hall square was designed, the prison tower was a strategic objective. It was made so that the prisoner could only see the bell tower, that is, the symbol of Llagostera, or the landscape of which he was deprived.

It is said that it was not used much, it was more of a symbolic construction about what could happen to you if you did not comply with the law. There are many stories of men and boys who have been inside the prison, but we'll leave this for another day.

Now it has been converted into a guard tower, people can climb to the top and admire the whole town. Llagostera is a village designed like in the Middle Ages, so from the tower you can see the village next door perfectly. The particularity that makes Llagostera a very special village at that time is that it is situated on top of a polecat. This meant that they could see their enemies, kilometres before they arrived.

[mjrarthystic]

Here we see the old bell-ringer's house. Nobody has lived there for years and that is why it looks like that. It used to be one of the most valued houses in the whole village. It was in front of the market square and had a direct view of the bell tower. It was protected by the walls that once surrounded the village and was famous for its beautiful symmetrical façade.

The bell-ringer's name was Benet and until not long ago he lived there. He was a lonely man with whom it was difficult to have a conversation. To tell you the truth, few people remember hearing his voice ever and that made it a bit scary. He was always dressed in black and protected the bell tower and the church as if it were his own creation.

It is said that many years ago his wife and daughter disappeared when they returned from Mass. He waited for them for days at the church door and they never showed up. Some said that they had abandoned him, others that they had an accident, but Benet kept hoping that they would show up. A few weeks later it became known that they had died in strange circumstances. All that remained for the poor bell-ringer was the memory of not being able to say goodbye to the women in his life.

So he decided to quit his job and dedicate the rest of his life to protect the parishioners when they went to mass and to ring the bells so that people would know when the mass started and ended. The path in the second photo is the place where you can see that his family was kidnapped and today it bears the name of the man who swore to protect his new family.

[mjrarthystic]

All the sculptures and objects that decorate the bell tower of Llagostera have a history behind them. The stories of the elements may not be as spectacular, but the stories of those who created and built them are.

In Llagostera the bell tower is 50 meters long and is the most important landmark of the town. Its construction was therefore very complicated and, although it was renovated in the 90s, most of it was built before the year 1000. The first documents date it to 855 AD, but the exact year is not known.

These elements that we see are part of the façade of the bell tower. The clock was placed many years later, but the inscriptions are original. It is said that some men came from the centre of Spain to make them. There are many meters to the ground and a bricklayer or a street artist could not afford to go up there.

These men came prepared with ropes and scaffolding and made most of the sculptures in high buildings such as Llagostera. They were called like the sculptors of the sky. They were famous when they went to the towns, and although their profession was very hard, they made a good living.

[mjrarthystic]

These are the guardians of the old chapel of Llagostera. In most villages these small statues were represented by men, however, when the chapel was built two women vagabonds slept there to watch that nobody stole anything.

The idea was to make a simple façade so that it would not stand out from the other constructions on the wall. The architect who designed the chapel expressly asked a decorator to do the design of the front. When the man arrived he found the women still sleeping there in front of the entrance.

When he set out to design the construction he only put one condition, that the women who protected the chapel should be represented at the top of the building. These were adapted to a more religious context and represent the power of women.

Today they are very famous among the regional sculptors since there are not many copies so well preserved. In the last photo we see a banner placed under the chapel where it is clear that women still struggle to be treated the same as men. The struggle that these women began continues and hopefully will soon be over once and for all.

[mjrarthystic]

My great motivation for architectural figures is usually due to their participation in the history of the town of Llagostera. This history usually has to do with the legends that are told or with the magnitude of these creations.

This case is very different, because this part of the town means much more than just a building. While the legends are just stories told by someone, the meaning of this balcony has a lot of importance on a political and sportive level.

On this balcony were pronounced the people that I consider most important on a state level. First we talked about the councillors and the mayor of the town hall. These people on this balcony have come out to give their opinion on important moments such as the independence of Catalonia or when there are celebrations such as the Festa Major.

Personally, one of the moments that I will never forget as a fan of the village team, are the 7 times that the players of the team went up to celebrate the promotion. I was just a kid playing in the lower categories, but I lived it as if I was also playing in the team.

[mjrarthystic]

This is divine justice. A life is full of difficult decisions, some of which bring us closer to heaven, and some of which distance us from it. History has always said that the good go to heaven and the bad to hell. It is at this door that the decision is made whether people enter sinlessly or not.

It is said that there was a priest who was very faithful to this story. He could not begin his prayer without first being blessed by Celia, the figure at the entrance to the church. Pilgrimages had a stop at this entrance, no one could continue their journey without her blessing.

A few years ago there was a robbery inside the church. The target was the gold jewellery of the murals and the relics of the legendary Celia. When the authorities arrived they found the two thieves dead from a heart attack. They received divine punishment for their blasphemy and cruelty. Since that day, the church is protected every day of the year by the spirit of Celia, who watches over all the inhabitants of Llagostera.

[mjrarthystic]

These are the stairs to heaven. In the village of Llagostera, these stairs join the church square with the water square. These stairs are so called because when people used to climb the coffins to the church, they did it by these stairs.

I am sure that they are the place where more dead people have passed through the town, removing the cemetery, obviously. At night they have a very scary air and it is one of the tourist attractions of the village.

These were remodelled because there was an accident in the 90s, where a car crashed into them. It is said that the car was going alone and that nobody was driving it. That's why they were closed for a long time until they were renovated along with the rest of the square. It is still said that you can hear the lost driver looking for his car at night.

[mjrarthystic]

This is an old fountain located in the oldest area of Llagostera. It was built by an anonymous sculptor who hid a story behind it.

The story goes that the sculptor travelled around the villages making sculptures on the sly to become part of their cultural heritage. This sculpture was made during the first decade of the 20th century. It was a work designed by a county patron and is still in use today.

It is said that this patron was an enemy of the church and that the sculpture hides a curse on those Catholics who drink from its waters.

[mjrarthystic]

The bell tower of Llagostera has six bells distributed in two different levels, inside the bell tower there are four liturgical bells and at the top of the roof there are the quarter and hour bells.

This magnificent architectural work of art is one of the most important Baroque monuments in Catalonia.

It is undoubtedly the icon of the beautiful town of Llagostera as we can see it from any of the entrances to the town.

For many people it is one of the most beautiful places in Catalonia and, fortunately, I can call it “my home”.