Sant Martí Sesgueioles: History, Sources and Festivals

Sant Martí Sesgueioles lies on the gentle slopes of a small valley at the edge of the final steps leading up to the Segarra highlands; one of the source areas of the Anoia River is located in this valley, and the river runs through the town.

Nature and paths

The oldest urban fabric of Sant Martí Sesgueioles developed at the foot of Tossal del Puig around Carrer Vell, Carrer Roser, Carrer Pati and Carrer Portal. The section of the Torrent de la Guàrdia that runs through the municipality was redesigned as a Via Verda for recreational use; a floodable path makes walking there easier.

History

Cal Dalmases is a 16th-century stately home and was the residence of the Dalmases noble family from Sant Martí. The building preserves an original stone window with a carved garland, as well as a lintel bearing the carved coat of arms of the Dalmases family. The Campanar’s present form dates from 1708; at that time, the master builder Joan Reinald increased its height by twenty-nine palmos.

The Campanar stands as a freestanding bell tower separate from the present church, after the former church was demolished in the 18th century and a new church was built in the centre of the town. The parish church of Sant Martí was built between 1779 and 1783; its foundation stone was laid on 6 June 1779, and construction was completed in 1783. The parish church is a single-nave building with four chapels on each side and galleries at choir level.

The Voltes del carrer Vell include a late Gothic arch dating from the 15th or 16th century. In the Middle Ages, the passage was one of three or four entrance gates to the town. The present Capella de Sant Valentí was begun on 29 August 1689 over the ruins of an earlier Romanesque church. Around 300 metres southeast of the Capella de Sant Valentí are medieval anthropomorphic graves carved into the rock.

An archaeological investigation in 2021 confirmed the historic location of Castell de Vilallonga Castle and identified the remains of a round tower. La Fàbrica is a former blanket factory and today serves as the town’s municipal social and multipurpose centre.

Sources and local details

Font del Cargolet is a spring mine built beneath a cultivated field beside the Torrent de la Guàrdia, with a stone-vaulted gallery and a water pipe inside. Font del Cargolet is said to have had a water basin in which the woollen blankets made at Cal Fontanet were probably washed; this use is based on oral tradition, and the spring is currently inaccessible because of dense vegetation. Font d’Emili Donadeu is a stone fountain with ornamental details on the square named after it and is still in fairly good condition.

Festivals and traditions

Caramelles is a living local tradition held on Easter Sunday morning. The Festa Major d'estiu is a four-day summer festival held on the weekend after 15 August, with dances, human towers, games, concerts and other events for all age groups.

Margaridó is a tragic local legend set in Sant Martí Sesgueioles and based on a poem by Apel·les Mestres. The first staged performance of Margaridó took place in 2018. Anoia Patrimoni organises guided tours of the cultural and historical heritage, including an offering on Sant Martí Sesgueioles entitled “una vida moderna amb arrels medievals”.

Station and leisure

Sant Martí Sesgueioles railway station lies on the western edge of the built-up area on the Zaragoza–Lleida–Manresa–Barcelona line at kilometre point 262.4. Rail service reached Sant Martí Sesgueioles in 1860 with the commissioning of the Manresa–Lleida section. Sant Martí Sesgueioles has municipal swimming pools with a frontón court and a leisure area with barbecue facilities.

Other places: Castellví De La Marca, Mosqueroles, Mataró, Malla, Veciana, Pineda De Mar, Vilanova del Vallès, Sant Llorenç d'Hortons

For the higher-level travel overview: Barcelona.