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According to Gras and Elias, in the beginning Botarell was a Moslem farmstead. The first 'carta de població' (a population permit) dates from 1184, when the Archbishop of Tarragona, Berenguer de Vilademuns, gave Berenguer de la Bisbal the order to populate Botarell and keep it as a feif. Tha Archbishop, though, kept the tithes and taxes income for himself.
At the end of the 16th century, Botarell belonged to the Montargull family. After the war of Els Segadors the town belonged to the Marquis of Tamarit, who supported the Castilian cause and kept this possession until the end of the Feudalism. Botarell was part of ' la Comuna del Camp de Tarragona' almost from its foundation and fought in the wars of Els Segadors and Succession. Despite the political and social instability that shook the country, during the 18th century there was an economical and demographic recovery that lasted until the 19th century. In any case, many people lost their lives and also the Town Hall and the prison were burnt down in 1836. The philloxera affected Botarell. Between 1899 and 1902 all the vineyard plantations were completely devastated. In the midst of this penury the vineyard replantation started and some land was replaced with olive and hazelnut trees. |
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The Three Wise Men cavalcade goes through every street giving presents to all the children in town. On February the 2nd, the town celebrates la Verge de la Candela( the town's patroness). On the following day, Sant Blai's Day, pastries and fruits are blessed and stored until March the 25th ( la mare de Déu's Day), when all that blessed food can finally be eaten and it is supposed to protect from sore throat. The summer Town Festival falls on August the 10th in honour of Sant Llorenç, our patron Saint. Events such as ' la Trobada de poetes de les nostres comarques' and ' les havaneres amb sardina i rom cremat) have become a tradition always located in the incomparable setting of 'La Font Vella'. In the month of April, Botarell celebrates Sant Jordi's Day, the national patron Saint, with the traditional sale of books and roses. |
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-The Renaissance parish church of Sant Llorenç was built around 1617-1622. During the Civil War many valuable altarpieces and paintings were destroyed. -'La Pedra Fita' is located at the town's entrance. According to Doctor Vilaseca, the megalithic monument was a cult object or a phallic representation. It is most likely thought that ' la Pedra Fita' was an old milestone, since many documents from the 12th century mention this kind of landmarks.
*Els Masos ( the farmhouses) -' El Mas del Gerro' is a Modernista farmhouse built in 1915. Its large
balcony has a tile ornamental ceramic border decorated with vegetable
motifs. -' El Mas d'en Giol' is an old building built in Moorish times made up by three separate dwellings( the owner's house, the farmer's house and the church dedicated to la Mare de Déu dels Dolors).
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Llibre de Botarell.- Josep Roca i Gran.- Ajuntament de Botarell, 1984 Guia de Botarell.- Carles Maristany Tió.- Diputació de Tarragona 1981 |
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| Town concil | Municipality | |||||||||