Tragic Week and Anti-clericalism

Tragic Week, or Setmana Tràgica, as its called in Catalan, occurred from July 26 to August 2 1909. And by the time it ended, Barcelona would earn a new nickname: “La Rosa de Foc” or “Rose of Fire.”What began as an anti-war uprising, turned, increasingly, anti-clerical. Dozens of churches burned. Crypts were raided. Caskets were pried open, and the corpses of priests and nuns were dragged into the streetsEven with government troops dispatched, order was not restored until August 2nd. Over successive months, nearly 2,000 people would be arrested, resulting in 17 death sentences. Five of which would be carried out. The heavy-handed manner in which the state dealt with the crisis drew widespread criticism in Spain, and throughout Europe. In Catalunya Barcelona, Tragic Week is explored in Episode 2, La Rosa de Foc.

To WATCH the Catalunya Barcelona documentary series click here.

Joan Culla Clarà discusses Tragic Week, and Barcelona’s habit of burning churches and convents.
Teresa Abelló dispels the notion that Tragic Week was organized by Barcelona’s early 20th century labor movement.
Ramon Alberch discusses the motivation behind Tragic Week in Barcelona.
Ramon Alberch discusses the execution of Frances Ferrer i Guàrdia.
1909 - Church Sant Joan d'Horta after Barcelona's Tragic Week
1909 – Church Sant Joan d’Horta after Barcelona’s Tragic Week
1909 - Unearthed corpses at Magdalenes convent on Carrer de Casanova
1909 – Unearthed corpses at Magdalenes convent on Carrer de Casanova
1909 - Unearthed corpses at the Beates convent in Barcelona's Barri de Poblet
1909 – Unearthed corpses at the Beates convent in Barcelona’s Barri de Poblet
1909 - Barricade on Carrer de Salmeron during Barcelona's Tragic Week
1909 – Barricade on Carrer de Salmeron during Barcelona’s Tragic Week