Dr Graham Jones: Catalan studies

Programme of research

The Cistercian monastery of Poblet in the Conca de Barbera, a Unesco World Heritage site.

During summer 2010 I shall be carrying out a further short season of research in Catalunya (the spelling Catalonia is now giving way in English to that used by the Catalans themselves), in association with the University of Barcelona and with the generous assistance of a number of Catalan colleagues.

1997: Six weeks of documentary and bibliographic research, resulting in the compilation of a descriptive text index to more than 200 saints venerated in Catalunya, and a start on a parish-by-parish database of saints' cults in that country.

1998: Four weeks of research centred on the comarca (administrative area corresponding to the English county) Conca de Barbera, and compiling a detailed record of the saints venerated in each of the comarca's several dozen churches, and carrying out a ground survey of the important monastic and pilgrimage site of Sant Magi de Brufaganya.

1999: Four weeks of research included a geophysical and field-walk survey of the complex at Sant Magi de Brufaganya, and a search of related documents in the Archives of the Archdiocese of Tarragona.

2000: Documentary and other research 'at a distance' during my Stott Fellowship at the University of Wales.

2001: Two weeks of research included further documentary investigation, including consultation with the Kunstsammlung, Basel, visits to Brufaganya, and work on a text for publication.

2002: Two weeks of fieldwork in the Diocese of Girona, leading to additions to the dataset and presentation of material in teaching and conference papers.

2003: Two weeks of fieldwork in the Diocese of Tortosa, similarly leading to dataset additions. Also comparative work on contemporary dedication patterns in Andalusia, allowing a presentation of Catalan and other Peninsular dedication material to the 'Sacred Landscapes' conference organised at the University of Berkeley, GIS Center, in association with the Collegio de Mexico, in February 2004.

2004: Visits to Tarragona and Brufaganya to assemble and assess souvenirs of the pilgrimage to Sant Magi.

2005:

2006:

2007: Survey of the chapel of Sant Magi at Santa Coloma in association with its conversion to a private residence.

2008: Work `at a distance´

2009: Translation and interpretation of the contract for the rebuilding of the church of Sant Magi de Brufaganya in 1732.

2010: Re-survey of Brufaganya in January, with a follow-up visit and discussion with a local research group planned for the summer.

Catalan at the University of Leicester

Catalan is taught in the School of Modern Languages at the University of Leicester. It has been a pleasure for several years to share my research interests with the students - the architecture of Gaudi and his fellows as well as Catalan religious devotion.

Links to Catalan web-sites

The portal through the Roman walls of Barcelona next to the cathedral.

Links to WWW Catalan Information compiled by the Old Catalan program at the University of California at Berkeley.

Catalan web-sites accessed via the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge.

Catalan links maintained by the University of Sheffield.

Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana

Catalan web-links from 'Languages on the Web.

Catalan and English translation engine provided by Comprendium.

Manuel Sanroma's Home Page including links to historical archives.

Spanish diocesan archives listed by Manuel Sanroma.

Archdiocese of Tarragona, Archives

Catalan Society of Genealogy

The steps of the cathedral of Santa Eulalia, Barcelona.

Christ in Glory. One of the multitude of Romanesque religious wall-paintings on show in the National Museum of Catalunya.

Dr G.R.Jones

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