Share

The Oliba centre

Welcome to this information centre, where a video, a tactile interactive screen and a multimedia guide will take you back to the times of the abbot and bishop Oliba.

The Oliba Information Centre

The Romanesque Era, the time of Peace and the Peace and Truce of God, feudalism and vassalage. Discover Catalonia in the year 1000, a frontier land, where construction was rife and where Olibawas one of the leading figures in a decisive moment in the history of Catalonia and Europe. This small-format centre, with its enormous wealth of information, can be found at the reception area of the Episcopal Museum of Vic.

Life and Work

The videodetails the importance that the life and works of Olibaplayed in the birth of Catalonia, in the defence of culture, of art and of the living conditions of the peasants in a time that was especially turbulent. You will discover Oliba, the peacemaker, the promotor of the assemblies of Peace and Truce, the first large-scale response to the violence that the feudal lords dealt on the people. Finally, we will follow Olibathe tireless traveller, the constructor and renovator of monasteries, churches and cathedrals, one of the greatest promotors of Catalan Romanesque art.

Land

The interactive guide takes you through scenes from the life of the count, abbot and bishop Oliba.This media resource gives visitors a virtual tour through the towns, monasteries and churches of the First Romanesque Period. Take a stroll through the counties of Catalonia in the year 1000, plan your own route and discover the main points of interest on the route of the abbot and bishopOliba. You will find information and images of Ripoll andCuixà, where Olibawas appointed abbot in 1008, from then on his activity was relentless; he was made the Bishop of Vic in 1017. Hefounded the Monastery of Montserrat and the Monastery of Sant Miquel de Fluvià, organised and reformed the monasteries of Sant Martí delCanigó, Sant Pere de la PortellaandSantFeliu de Guíxols. He was the force behind the building of numerous churches and the work on the basilicas of Ripoll and Vic, where the superb Romanesque bell tower of the cathedral still stands; a feature that can be seen from the large window in the museum lobby, as if it were another exhibit in our collections.

Oliba and Romanesque Art

Take a closer look at the museum’s magnificent collection of Romanesque art with a tour organised by our multimedia guide. Exhibits include items that once adorned the churches, monasteries, and medieval cathedrals of ancient Catalonia. Discover details impossible to see at first glance. Ask for your mobile device at reception or download our app for iPhone or Android devices.

Oliba, a founder of Europe

The Oliba Centre is the result of the EU-financed Interreg Project “Oliba, the Founder of Europe”. The centre has designed a cross-border route that includes the main scenarios of the life and works of Oliba, with two options: a route on foot, following the Path of abbot and bishop Oliba and the second, a route by car. In both cases the route allows participants to find out about some of the places, landscapes and monuments that best represent the tangible and intangible heritage of the ancient Catalan counties.