VilaWeb - Diari escola: 'Torna En Serrallonga'

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diumenge, 22 de desembre de 2024

> Joan de Serrallonga

> Banditry

> Legendary Highwaymen

dijous, 16 de setembre de 2004

On the 17th, 18th and 19th of this month, the town of Sant Hilari Sacalm commemorates the figure of Joan Sala i Ferrer, better known as Joan de Serrallonga, one of the most legendary highwaymen of the Catalan area. This town in the county of La Selva is going right back to the Baroque age, with a very varied programme of activities.

The event, known as Torna En Serrallonga (Serrallonga is Back), is organised by the association of the same name, which aims to highlight the importance that Sant Hilari Sacalm and the Guilleries massif had in the life of the Catalan highwayman, and at the same time, to rediscover the popular and traditional culture linked to banditry in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The activities kick off on Friday evening, with a round of blunderbuss shots, games and bread soaked in sugared wine for everyone. The next day, Saturday, there will be a workshop on thieves' and highwaymen's songs, which will culminate in a lunch with oral tradition singing. The recreation of a 17th century craft market and a street parade will liven the afternoon and in the evening there will be the performance El Ball d'En Serrallonga (Serrallonga's Ball), with dances from the Baroque age and live music. A Baroque market, a parade of giant highwayman figures and a display of traditional dances will be the main events on the Sunday.

As well as this, throughout the weekend visitors to Sant Hilari Sacalm will be able to take part in El Tresor d'En Serrallonga (Serrallonga's Treasure Hunt), a walking trail packed with surprises and legends to discover the story of the highwayman.

+ Webs relacionades dins Nosaltres.Com: Cultura popular i tradicions

Joan de Serrallonga

+ Serrallonga was the fifth of nine siblings, four of whom were highwaymen.

Joan Sala i Ferrer was born in Viladrau (in the county of Osona) in 1594, to one of the most important families in the area. As a young man, he took part in some thefts, but no significant ones. But in 1622, he was reported to the authorities by a neighbour, Miquel Barfull, who he then killed. Serrallonga became a fugitive, and soon joined the ranks of the Catalan banditry, until he became its leading player. Courageous and opposed to Spanish centralisation, he gained the sympathy (and often the fear) of many who hid him from the authorities. Nevertheless, in 1633 he was arrested near Santa Coloma de Farners (La Selva), and the following year he was tortured and executed.

Banditry

+ The forests of the Guilleries: the hiding place of Joan de Serrallonga.

Catalan banditry is closely linked to the 16th and much of the 17th centuries. In the Principality of Catalonia, this phenomenon acquired great significance because of the economic, social and political crisis of the time, and it was reinforced by noblemen who had lost their fortunes but also by peasants who were subject to the arbitrary rule of their feudal lords and depended on a good harvest to survive. In the first third of the 17th century, banditry reached its zenith, and became mixed up with the struggles between two factions of noblemen that had been going on for a long time: the nyerros and the cadells.

Legendary Highwaymen

+ Signature of Perot Rocaguinarda.

There has been much literature on the deeds and misdeeds of Joan de Serrallonga over the last centuries, and this has only increased the legendary stature of the man. But there have been other legendary highwaymen too. Of these, one cannot fail to mention Perot Rocaguinarda, the highwayman of Oristà (Osona), who was very active at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. So much so that the great writer Miguel de Cervantes included him in two chapters of 'Don Quixote', one of the masterpieces of world literature. Although his name was slightly changed, to Roque Guinart.

MATERIALS

Torna En Serrallonga
Format:Web
Pàgina d'aquesta festa que recorda la figura d'en Joan de Serrallonga. Programa d'actes i apunt biogràfic del bandoler.
Mites de les Guilleries
Format:Web
Llegendes i mites relacionats amb el massís de les Guilleries, refugi predilecte d'en Serrallonga.
Històries de Catalunya
Format:Web
La història del Principat, a la web d'aquest programa de TV3.
El bandolerisme
Format:Web
Espai de la Xarxa Telemàtica Educativa de Catalunya (XTEC), centrat en el bandolerisme de l'edat moderna.

QUE HO SABIES?

Serrallonga was the fifth of nine siblings, four of whom were highwaymen. For a certain period of time, our man formed part of Perot Rocaguinarda's gang, before he formed his own.
It is believed that the street named Perot lo Lladre, in Barcelona, is dedicated to Perot Rocaguinarda.
In 1618 Joan Sala i Ferrer married Margarida Tallades, heiress to the Serrallonga de Querós estate in Sant Hilari Sacalm. This gave rise to the alias, Joan de Serrallonga.