Tivissa
Encyclopedia
Tivissa is a municipality in the comarca
of Ribera d'Ebre
, Catalonia
, Spain
. It is located below the La Llena mountains. Tivissa's municipal term includes La Serra d'Almos
village, below the Montalt
mountain, and the hamlets of Darmós and Llaberia, besides the town of Tivissa itself.
In Iberian
times, Tivissa was an important community, and the name itself may be of Iberian origin. There are the remains of an Iberian settlement at Banyoles, some five kilometres from the modern village and overlooking the Ebre river. The importance of these settlements was surely related to their position on the route through the pass of Coll de Fatxes, leading from the coast of Tarragona
to what is now Zaragoza
.
In the Roman period, amphorae made in Tivissa made their way as far as Rome itself, presumably to transport olive oil or wine.
In the Middle Ages it was home to a castle, and about 1350 Tivissa became a walled settlement.
-style appearance, but the interior is in Gothic
style.
The church was built on the site of an earlier Romanesque
building in the 13th-14th centuries, and various additions and alterations were made in the 16th to 18th centuries. The octagonal bell-tower was built in 1550.
During the 19th century the rector Pere Rius started to plan a larger building, and received the support of the local council and of the president of the First Spanish Republic
, Estanislau Figueres, who had connections with Tivissa. Because of the lack of available space, it was decided to build the new church on the same site. It was constructed around the old church with the intention of subsequently demolishing the old building. However, when the rector died in 1894 the work came to an end and the demolition never took place, thus leaving the Gothic church standing within the new one.
Some remains of these walls can still be seen, particularly the gateways of Portal de l'Era, Portal d'Avall and Portal de la Raval, as well as of the castle.
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of Ribera d'Ebre
Ribera d'Ebre
Ribera d'Ebre is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. The name in Catalan refers to its location on the banks of the river Ebre, usually referred to in English by its Spanish name, "Ebro.- Municipalities :Populations are from 2001.* Ascó - pop. 1,617...
, 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...
. It is located below the La Llena mountains. Tivissa's municipal term includes La Serra d'Almos
La Serra d'Almos
La Serra d'Almos is a village located within the municipal term of Tivissa, in the Ribera d'Ebre comarca, Catalonia, Spain.Administratively La Serra d'Almos was formerly a municipality in its own right since 1787. In 1940, one year after the Spanish Civil War, the village was merged with the...
village, below the Montalt
Montalt
Montalt is a mountain that is part of the Serra de Montalt, Serra de Llaberia, Catalonia, Spain. It has an altitude of 749 metres above sea level.There is a triangulation station at the summit.-External links:*...
mountain, and the hamlets of Darmós and Llaberia, besides the town of Tivissa itself.
History
The area was settled in prehistoric times, and cave paintings have been discovered in several sites near the village.In Iberian
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
times, Tivissa was an important community, and the name itself may be of Iberian origin. There are the remains of an Iberian settlement at Banyoles, some five kilometres from the modern village and overlooking the Ebre river. The importance of these settlements was surely related to their position on the route through the pass of Coll de Fatxes, leading from the coast 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...
to what is now Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
.
In the Roman period, amphorae made in Tivissa made their way as far as Rome itself, presumably to transport olive oil or wine.
In the Middle Ages it was home to a castle, and about 1350 Tivissa became a walled settlement.
Main sights
Tivissa's main church has a 19th-century RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
-style appearance, but the interior is in Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style.
The church was built on the site of an earlier Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
building in the 13th-14th centuries, and various additions and alterations were made in the 16th to 18th centuries. The octagonal bell-tower was built in 1550.
During the 19th century the rector Pere Rius started to plan a larger building, and received the support of the local council and of the president of the First Spanish Republic
First Spanish Republic
The First Spanish Republic was the political regime that existed in Spain between the parliamentary proclamation on 11 February 1873 and 29 December 1874 when General Arsenio Martínez-Campos's pronunciamento marked the beginning of the Bourbon Restoration in Spain...
, Estanislau Figueres, who had connections with Tivissa. Because of the lack of available space, it was decided to build the new church on the same site. It was constructed around the old church with the intention of subsequently demolishing the old building. However, when the rector died in 1894 the work came to an end and the demolition never took place, thus leaving the Gothic church standing within the new one.
Some remains of these walls can still be seen, particularly the gateways of Portal de l'Era, Portal d'Avall and Portal de la Raval, as well as of the castle.
Economy
In modern times, the economy is still largely based on agricultural activities, although the steep, marginal land in the hills has progressively gone out of cultivation. The chief crops are olives, grapes for wine, nuts (hazelnuts, almonds) and soft fruit (peaches, cherries). In recent years, tourism has been encouraged and is beginning to make an economic impact.External links
- http://www.fut.es/~netebre/ribera/historia.htm
- http://www.castillosnet.org/tarragona/T-CAS-091.shtml
- http://www.castillosnet.org/tarragona/T-CAS-092.shtml