MARTI – CODOLAR
HISTORY
GRANJA VELLA. THE HISTORY
The land currently occupied by the Martí-Codolar Salesian Seminary, formerly known as Granja Vella, has a long history that begins in the 15th century and reaches our days after many historical events, some of them linked to history of the city.
From a rural farmhouse in its early days to a residential palace for members of the Catalan bourgeoisie, Luis Martí-Codolar housed his collection of exotic animals. Among them an elephant, a giraffe and many exotic birds that, finally, would give rise to the Barcelona Zoo in 1892. The farm has also witnessed illustrious visits such as Spanish Kings Fernando VII or Alfonso XIII and finally, that of Don Juan Bosco in 1886, as a sign of the family’s good relationship with the Salesian Society. This would finally lead to the transfer of property to this community in 1946. The congregation of the Salesians entered in 1949 and inaugurated the seminary.
DON BOSCO AND MARTÍ-CODOLAR
Saint John Bosco, founder of the Salesian Society, visited Barcelona from April 8 to May 5, 1886 invited by a group of bourgeoisie with broad social sensitivity, led by Dorotea de Chopitea, widow of Señor Serra, a wealthy industrialist and banker from that time.
On May 3, 1886, the Martí-Codolar family, and Mrs. Dorotea de Chopitea, invited Don Bosco, with his companions – the Salesians Carlos Viglietti and Miguel Rua – and the young people from the Salesian Workshops of Sarriá, to spend the day with them.
After lunch, they went down to the garden where Don Joaquín Pascual, Don Luis Martí-Codolar’s nephew, took the famous souvenir photograph that is present in all Salesian houses and that can be seen on these lines.
Since then, Mr. Lluís Martí-Codolar and his family have remained linked to Don Bosco and the Salesians, until today. At the end of the 40s of the last century, the brothers Javier and María de los Ángeles Martí-Codolar and Pascual – sons of Don Luis Martí-Codolar – gave the property of the Granja Vella Martí-Codolar to the Salesian Community to turn it into seminar, becoming, with the passage of time, in the multidisciplinary center that it is today.
MARTÍ-CODOLAR NOWADAYS
Over the years many Salesians have lived here from the Basque Country, Navarra, Aragon, the Valencia area, and from Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. But others have also passed from Portugal, Mexico, India, and the United States. All of them have been trained to be good educators and missionaries, spreading themselves around the world.
Today, in Salesians Martí-Codolar there are different spaces, some open to the public and others private, in which various activities are developed, some of which are related to assisting underprivileged sectors of society and welcoming immigrants.
On the other hand, we can find a guesthouse, the religious science study center, the Don Bosco house and a building with multipurpose rooms for holding events, courses and workshops.
In the private spaces, there is the Verge de la Mercè infirmary and the Salesian residence.
HOSTEL MARTI – CODOLAR
The Martí-Codolar hostel is intended for the reception of religious, cultural and volunteer groups that temporarily develop their training activities in the rooms and environments of the Salesian Work Martí-Codolar or in the headquarters of ecclesial or civic institutions of Barcelona.
The Hospedería has 207 beds in 90 double rooms and 9 triple rooms. It also has a space for a youth hostel with 172 places in various common spaces.
It also has a total of 25 meeting rooms of all sizes with a total surface area of 2,000 m2, distributed among the various buildings of the Work, preferably in the academic building.
The inn’s dining room can serve 200 people simultaneously and 300 in two shifts, serving more than 200,000 meals a year.
ISRC
The ISCR Don Bosco has two sections, one for official university teaching of the Catholic Church, and another for university extension at the service of the formation of lay people and educators of the Salesian Province of Mary Help of Christians.
INFIRMARY VERGE DE LA MERCED
The Virgen de la Merced Infirmary is the space for the care of members of the Salesian community who, due to age, require special attention due to serious dependencies or illnesses and is also prepared to attend and assess medical emergencies of Salesians present in the house during provincial meetings or various activities.
CASAL DON BOSCO
In 1985 the Casal Don Bosco began, fitting out some rooms of the former Student Body, as a classroom for meetings, group activities for games and communication, and a chapel. In these spaces, remodeled over time, Christian exchange, reflection and prayer activities are carried out for pre-adolescents, adolescents and young people from the different Salesian Works in the area. It is a complementary and reinforcing pastoral initiative to that which is developed in situ in the schools, parishes, and social platforms of the Province.