Prades, Baix Camp
Encyclopedia
Prades is a municipality in the comarca of Baix Camp
Baix Camp
Baix Camp is a comarca of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It is one of the three comarques into which Camp de Tarragona was divided in the comarcal division of 1936....

, in the province of Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...

, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

.

The main monuments are Santa Maria church in the town, as well as the Ermita de l'Abellera shrine located in an escarpment, outside the town's perimeter.

This town gives its name to the Prades Mountains
Prades Mountains
Prades Mountains, also known as Muntanyes de Prades, is a large calcareous mountain massif straddling the comarcas of Alt Camp, Baix Camp, Conca de Barberà, Garrigues and Priorat, in Catalonia, Spain. These mountains have characteristic large and rounded rocky outcrops...

, located in the vicinity of the municipality. It is a high altitude town, very cold in the winter, but popular as a touristic spot in the summer.

History

King Ramon Berenguer IV made the concession of a municipal charter
Municipal charter
A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....

 to the place in 1159. The last saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...

s were expelled from the area. By 1200 Prades had already its own market and the town grew in importance and power.

The County of Prades included the Barony of Entença, as wll as other towns in the area. Its total surface was 1,157 km² and its dominions extended across the present-day Baix Camp
Baix Camp
Baix Camp is a comarca of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It is one of the three comarques into which Camp de Tarragona was divided in the comarcal division of 1936....

, Priorat
Priorat
Priorat is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. The central part of the comarca, "Priorat històric," produces the famous and prestigious wine of the Denominación de Origen Calificada Priorat. Wines from elsewhere in the comarca are denominated as Montsant...

 and Alt Camp
Alt Camp
Alt Camp is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain.It is one of the three comarques into which Camp de Tarragona was divided in the comarcal division of 1936.- Municipalities :Populations are for 2001.*Aiguamúrcia - pop. 648*Alcover - pop. 3966...

comarcas.

External links

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