The association of Friends of the Caboet Valley has launched a formal request Solicitante support Institutional to publish a book about ‘greuges of Guitard Isarn‘, considered one of the first texts written in Catalan. Coinciding with 920 birthday From its writing, the entity works intensely to disseminate this valuable document throughout the national territory. Currently, all information related to the linguistic and historical aspects of this medieval manuscript is collected on its website, in addition to being part of the guided tour of the church of Saint cabó (Alt Urgell), where a reproduction of the original document written by the Lord of Caboet.
One of the main obstacles faced by the association is the lack of economic resources to keep the temple open on a regular basis, which hinders public access to this important cultural heritage. The document, dated November 1105 and March 1106, is written almost entirely in ancient Catalan, described by Montserrat RiuVocal of the Association, as “an archaic, simple, rugged and paratactic Catalan.” It is a legal text that lists the rights that the feudal lord of Caboet He considered violated, offering a unique window to the functioning of the feudal system in Catalonia of the twelfth century, especially in the Pyrenean region.
The historical and linguistic value of the ‘Grievance Guitard Isarn‘It transcends the regional borders of the Alt Urgell. Its importance is that it shows that Catalan was already a language usually spoken in the region more than nine centuries, taking into account that the written manifestation of a language is always after its oral use. This manuscript constitutes, therefore, a tangible evidence of the early consolidation of Catalan as a language of communication in the territories of the peninsular Northeast.
From the association they have recalled that the first academic publication of this document was made by the historian Joaquim Miret i Sans In 1908, establishing the bases for its study. However, it was not until the end of the 90s when the first and only exhaustive linguistic analysis of the text was carried out, job performed by Joan Anton RabellaDoctor of Catalan Philology by the University from Barcelona. This pioneering study allowed better to understand the characteristics of early medieval Catalan and its subsequent evolution.
Commemorative acts by 920 birthday
To celebrate this significant event, the Association has organized an ambitious program of activities in collaboration with several cultural institutions. Among the participating entities is the Library of Catalonia, depositary of the original document, and the Inestitut d’Estudis Catalanswhich will organize a special day in October dedicated to analyzing the importance of this text for the history of the Catalan language.
The commemorative program also includes the eighth days of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans of the Alt Urgell, which will be exceptionally held this year in Goat during the month of November. To these activities will be added events organized by Active Culture of Andorra and the University Rovira i Virgilwhich will contribute to spreading knowledge about this important medieval manuscript. As a culmination, the official closure of the acts of the birthday It is scheduled for March 2026 at the headquarters of the Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs.
What are the ‘Grievance Guitard Isarn‘?
Los ‘Grievance Guitard Isarn‘They constitute one of the first written documents almost entirely in Catalan of those who are recorded. It is a legal text written between 1105 and 1106, in which Guitard Isarnsir of feudal Caboet (current region of the Alt Urgell), lists a series of grievances or rights that he considers that they have been violated by other nobles or vassals in the region.
Its historical value is double: on the one hand, it offers detailed information on the functioning of the feudal system in the Pyrenean Catalonia of the early twelfth century; by Another, its linguistic importance is incalculable, since it represents one of the first written manifestations of the Catalan language, when it began to clearly differentiate itself from vulgar Latin and consolidate as an independent language.
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