Renaixença facts for kids
The Renaixença (pronounced "reh-nah-SHEN-sah") was a big cultural movement in Catalonia during the 1800s. It's also called the Catalan Renaissance. This movement aimed to bring back and celebrate the Catalan language and culture.
It was similar to other movements in Europe at the time, like the Rexurdimento in Galicia or the Félibrige for the Occitan language. The Renaixença started around the 1830s and continued until the 1880s. It was mostly about romanticism, but it also included ideas from other art styles like Naturalism and Symbolism. The name "Renaixença" means "rebirth" and describes the time when Catalan culture grew strong again.
What Was the Renaixença?
The Renaixença helped end a time when Catalan culture was not doing well. This period was known as the Decadència. It started after Catalonia lost the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). After the war, new laws called the Nueva Planta decrees (starting in 1716) took away Catalonia's old ways of governing itself.
The main goal of the Renaixença was to make Catalan a language used for important culture again. This meant promoting art, theater, and books in Catalan. People also tried to create clear rules for how the language should be written and spoken. This was fully achieved later, in the early 1900s.
Like many other Romantic movements, the Renaixença admired the Middle Ages. You could often see this admiration in the art from that time. In Barcelona, an old poetry contest called Jocs Florals (or Jocs de la Gaia Ciència) was brought back.
The Renaixença wasn't just in Catalonia. It also happened in other places where Catalan is spoken, like the Balearic Islands. A famous magazine called La Renaixença was closely linked to this movement. The movement's name actually came from this magazine!
During the 1800s, there were also many political changes and conflicts in Spain. These included the Carlist wars and other uprisings. These events helped lead to the rise of Catalan nationalism, which became more visible by the end of the 19th century.
Important People of the Renaixença
Many talented people were part of the Renaixença movement. Here are some of the most famous:
- Bonaventura Carles Aribau: A writer whose poem Oda a la pàtria is often seen as the start of the movement.
- Manuel Milà i Fontanals: A language expert and scholar of old poetry. He was very influential and helped begin the Renaixença.
- Joan Maragall: A poet, translator, journalist, and essay writer.
- Jacint Verdarguer: A famous poet who wrote L'Atlàntida and the Catalan national epic, Canigó.
- Àngel Guimerà: A well-known playwright who wrote plays for the theater.
- Narcís Oller: A novelist who wrote about the Industrial Revolution and how society was changing. He was influenced by the realistic style of Émile Zola.
- Frederic Soler: A playwright known as Pitarra, who used everyday Catalan language in his plays.
- Joaquim Rubió i Ors: A poet known by names like Lo Gayté del Llobregat.
- Víctor Català (real name Caterina Albert i Paradís): A writer known for her symbolic stories.
- Martí Genís i Aguilar: A writer.
- Antoni Puig i Blanch: A poet.
- Francesc Camprodon: A poet.
- Víctor Balaguer: A writer who used the pen name Lo trovador de Montserrat.
- Antoni Gaudi: A famous architect and a leading figure of Catalan Modernism, which came after the Renaixença.
- Maria Antònia Salvà i Ripoll: A poet.
See also
In Spanish: Renaixença para niños
