Prehistory of Terrassa, sea of parabolic arches The remains that have been found indicate that the area where Terrassa stands has been inhabited since prehistory. In 2005, during the construction of a tunnel for one of the city's railway lines, a prehistoric site was found in
Vallparadís Park, with stone tools and fossils of hunted animals dating back 800,000 to 1,000,000 years, making this one of the oldest prehistoric sites in Europe.
Ancient Egara Terrassa originated as the Roman town of
Egara (
Municipium Flavium Egara), which was founded during the time of the emperor
Vespasian (69–79 CE), alongside the torrent of Vallparadís (nowadays an urban park) close to the
Iberian town of
Egosa, on the site of which some ceramics and coins have been found.
Modern Terrasa In the 17th century it was the sight of the
Terrasa witchtrials, where 6 women were arrested, tortured and convicted of witchcraft. Five of them were hanged on 27 October 1619 near a present-day railway bridge. Other important remains from the Middle Ages are the former cathedral, the castle of Vallparadís (from 1344 to 1413 a
Carthusian monastery and today a municipal museum) and the tower of the castle-palace of the
count-king. In the 19th century the city played an important role in the industrial revolution, specializing in woollen fabrics, and today there is a major
Modernista legacy as a result of the city's importance at that time. Particularly notable
Modernista buildings include the
Masia Freixa (1907), the Vapor Aymerich, Amat i Jover
textile mill (1907) (now the
Museum of Science and Industry of Catalonia), the Principal theater (1920), the city hall (1902), the Alegre de Sagrera house/museum (1911),
the Industrial School (1904), the Gran Casino (1920), the Parc de Desinfecció (1920), and the Independència market (1908). Terrassa is a partner city of the
Art nouveau network, a European network of co-operation created in 1999 for the study, preservation and development of
Art Nouveau. Terrassa is a famous
movie production center in
Europe and was named a
City of Film by
UNESCO. The city is home to the largest film studios in
Catalonia and the
Iberian Peninsula, the
Parc Audiovisual de Catalunya, where numerous movies and TV Shows such as
REC,
A Monster Calls and
Operación Triunfo have been filmed.
Catastrophes On 25 September 1962, after a long dry summer, between 212 and 252 litres of rain per square metre fell in three hours. It caused the rivers
Llobregat and
Besòs and their tributaries to overflow, creating a water avenue that caused 700 victims and heavy material losses. The
Vallès Occidental comarca was the most damaged. In particularly Terrassa, with 327 victims. The reason of these numbers was that building was permitted around two dry streams used to bring rain water to the
Llobregat river. They met in a wedge shape and were not properly
channelized. When the streams overflowed it created what was called "the dead triangle", with more than a hundred victims in the Ègara neighbourhood alone.
Ecclesiastical history The episcopal see of Ègara already existed by about 450 CE, when it was established on territory split off from the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Barcelona, under the Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Tarragona.
Pope Hilarius confirmed its autonomy by denying a request around 469 to unite it with the Barcelona under its own first bishop, Ireneus. It comprised parts of these
Comarques of Catalonia (Catalan districts) :
Alt Penedès,
Anoia,
Baix Llobregat,
Vallès Occidental and
Vallès Oriental. A Provincial Council of Tarragona was held there in 615. It effectively succumbed to the Arab (Muslim) conquest in the 8th century and was probably suppressed, its territory being (rather nominally) returned to the
Diocese of Barcelona. The Marian cathedral continued to exist until 718, when it was taken over during the
Umayyad conquest of Hispania, but was rebuilt in the 12th century, and remains part of a monumental complex of ancient
Visigothic-
Romanesque churches of Sant Pere de Terrassa and Sant Miquel on the site. After the Catholic
Reconquista of the region in the tenth century, the see was not restored, its territory being incorporated in the (mother) diocese of Barcelona. Why a request to restore the bishopric by its Metropolitan of Tarragona, Cesareo, wasn't honored by
Pope John XII (955–964) is unclear. In 2004,
Pope John Paul II created the new
Diocese of Terrassa on territory taken from the
Archdiocese of Barcelona. Its seat is the
Cathedral of Holy Spirit.
Diocese of Egara ;Suffragan Bishops of Egara • Ireneo (450? – death 465) • Saint
Nebridio (516? – 527?), who was possibly transferred to Barcelona, which had a homonym incumbent in 540. • Tauro (546? – ?) • Sofronio (589? – 592?) • Ilergio (594? – 610?) • Eugenio (633? – ?) • Vincenzo (653? – ?) • Giovanni (683? – 693?) ; Titular see of Egara In 1969
Pope Paul VI created the
titular see of Egara. The title has been held by: • Justo Goizueta Gridilla,
O.A.R. (14 January 1970 – retired 15 February 1978), as
Bishop-Prelate of
Territorial Prelature of Madera (Mexico) (1970.01.14 – 1988.02.02), previously Apostolic Administrator of same Madera (1967 – 14 January 1970); died 1991 • Juan Francisco Sarasti Jaramillo,
C.I.M. (8 March 1978 – 23 December 1983) as
Auxiliary Bishop of
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cali (
Colombia) (8 March 1978 – 23 December 1983); later Bishop of
Barrancabermeja (Colombia) (23 December 1983 – 25 March 1993), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Ibagué (Colombia) (25 March 1993 – 17 August 2002), Metropolitan Archbishop of above Cali (17 August 2002 – retired 18 May 2011) and Apostolic Administrator of
Buenaventura (Colombia) (21 February 2004 – 29 April 2004) •
Paulius Antanas Baltakis,
O.F.M. (1 June 1984 – 17 May 2019) •
Luis Miguel Romero Fernández,
M. Id. (20 March 2020 – present), Auxiliary Bishop of
Rockville Centre, New York City == Government ==