Aula· Spain, city by cityCataluña
Manresa
«Manresa es conocida por la Cueva de San Ignacio.»Manresa is known for the Cave of Saint Ignatius.
Manresa is in the interior of Catalonia, sixty kilometres north of Barcelona, on a spur above the Cardener river. It has lived since the fourteenth century off water brought by a thirty-kilometre canal dug by hand, and in 1522 Ignatius of Loyola spent eleven months here, where he began his Spiritual Exercises.
Did you know
Eleven months inside a cave.
Ignatius of Loyola lived here for almost a year in a cave, writing the notes that would give life to the famous Spiritual Exercises.
How they talk in Manresa
Catalan is widely used and «Bages» is the territorial word that locals use to immediately identify the city. «Séquia» refers to the 14th-century medieval canal that brought water from the Llobregat and remains part of the local identity.
déu-n'hi-do
Not bad; quite something; truly remarkable. Interjection or adverb to express surprise, admiration, importance, or a considerable quantity.
Everyday life in Manresa
The «Séquia» that has brought water since 1339
A canal dug by hand in the 14th century still brings water to the city from thirty kilometres away: you walk along its bank as if it were a path, and it is the favourite route for the weekend.
«El canal trae el agua desde lejos.» — The canal brings water from afar.
Ignatius' «Cova»
Pilgrims from all over the world arrive at the cave where Ignatius of Loyola spent eleven months in 1522, and the path that leads here from Loyola crosses half of Spain. For the people of Manresa, it is just another part of the city.
The «Llum» in February
The Festa de la Llum commemorates the miracle of the water with lights, fire and people in the streets at night: it is the winter festival, and it takes place when it is truly cold.
What to eat in Manresa
Calçots amb romesco
Spring onions roasted over embers, peeled by hand and dipped in romesco.
Crema catalana
Lemon and cinnamon custard with a burnt sugar crust on top made with an iron.
Botifarra amb mongetes
Grilled Catalan sausage with sautéed white beans.
Festivals in Manresa
Festa de la Llum
21 February
The miracle of the water is remembered with lights lit on the canal and the «Misteri de la Llum» performed in the Seu.
What to see in Manresa
Seu de Manresa
The Gothic collegiate church on the spur above the river, with a very wide single nave.
Cova de Sant Ignasi
The cave where Ignatius of Loyola spent eleven months and began the Spiritual Exercises.
Pont Vell
The medieval bridge over the Cardener, with its donkey-back arches.
La Sèquia
The 1339 canal that carries water for thirty kilometres, still in operation.
Where Manresa comes from
Thirty kilometres of canal dug by hand
Iberian era
The village
Settlement on the hill above the Cardener.
1339
La Sèquia
A thirty-kilometre canal is dug to bring water: it took two years.
1522
Ignatius
Ignatius of Loyola spends eleven months in a cave here and begins writing the Spiritual Exercises.
19th century → today
Industry
Textiles and the conveyor belt make it grow along the river.
Want to learn Spanish by travelling across Spain?
In Aula every lesson is a city lighting up on the map — Manresa is one of them. Two hundred lessons from A1 to C2, free, starting from your level.
Start from Manresa →