Associació Vila-sacra Activa't

The Associació Vila-sacra Activa't is a non-profit association.

Since the Association's inception, our goal has been to promote popular culture in our town. We have been staging the Living Nativity Scene (Christmas) and the Passion Play (Holy Week) for over 10 years.

We also carry out other activities related to popular culture such as the Armats Romans of St. Esteve de Vila-sacra (with parades, Roman games and a Roman world festival), the Colla Grallera i Tabalera de Vila-sacra with the big-headed figures and giant, the Vila-sacra sardana group, and finally we promote a permanent exhibition located in the Town Hall together with the Fundació Occitano-Catalana on shared future

Everyone involved in these activities—actors, musicians, singers, or assistants— does so on a voluntary basis, and we hold a thank-you dinner or lunch, sometimes with appetizers, at the end. The costs of putting on these performances are significant, which is why we are requesting a grant to be able to carry them out.

Our Association is affiliated with the Catalan Federation of Passion Plays and the Federation of Living Nativity Scenes of Catalonia. We currently serve on the boards of both federations.

The Passion of Vila-sacra

The Passion of Vila-sacra was born in 2013, it began with young people from the confirmation catechesis and from the first moment it was performed together with choral singing by the choir Voces Blancas de Vila-sacra.

It is based on the Gospel of St. Luke and has always been performed in our Romanesque church of bare stone. The distinctive feature of the Vila-sacra Passion Play is the combination of theatrical acting with choral singing. When the choral singing flows, the actors remain still, which enhances the scene.

If we also add light effects, sounds and projected images onto the stone of the 12th-century Romanesque church, it makes us feel transported to that important moment in humanity.

The stage is set entirely around the altar of the Romanesque church of St. Stephen, and all the scenes unfold one after another without a curtain. From the storm in the middle of the lake to the Calvary and resurrection, everything is depicted in 70 minutes.

Living Nativity Scene of Vila-sacra

It has been performed around the Abbot's Palace and the Romanesque church for over ten years. The setting is perfectly suited to the occasion, with stone walls and arcades that instantly transport visitors to another era. It is one of the few nativity scenes where the props are sourced from the houses and farmhouses of the village itself (a few days before the performance): antique utensils used both inside homes and in the fields, as well as vegetables from nearby gardens and crops. All of these items are returned at the end of the performance season.

Add to that 110 extras in their costumes, the participation of the Armats de Sant Esteve de Vila-sacra troupe, meticulous lighting, and accompanying music that enhances the atmosphere, and the whole thing transports you back in time as you experience the thirty or so scenes depicted. For all these reasons, we consider it a show of very high quality.