Vilallonga del Camp

Vilallonga is a municipality in the Tarragonès region, located on the right bank of the Glorieta River, which forms its border with Rourell. The municipality covers an area of 9.23 km², and is crossed by the Vilallonga stream, a right-bank tributary of the Francolí River. The village of Vilallonga, a prime example of a wayside village and the only urban center within its boundaries, sits at an altitude of 104 meters. It belongs to the judicial district of Valls and the archpriestship of Valls. In addition to the old town of Vilallonga, the municipality also includes the historical districts of Carxol, Les Sorts, and Mas de la Obra, the Montoliva farmhouse and former stable, and the old village of Font de l'Astor.

Within the municipality of Vilallonga are several Roman remains, including a basilica-style building and a rectangular tomb, suggesting established settlements. No remains or documents survive from the Saracen period.

The first charter of settlement granted to the men of Villalonga by King Alfonso the Chaste dates from March 1, 1188. That first nucleus of Vilallonga must have been located near the Granja de los Frailes and next to the royal road that went from Tarragona to Montblanc.

We know that Villallonga already existed before the granting of the town charter, because in the donation charter of Morell to Berenguer Desprats, in 1173, it appears that it bordered Villallonga.

The War of Independence (1808-1811) had a considerable impact on Vilallonga del Camp. The town became the headquarters of the Spanish army for a few months and was later occupied by French troops on their advance towards the city of Tarragona.

Two important figures stand out in the municipality: Pere Virgili (1699-1776), considered the father of surgery in Spain for founding the Royal Colleges of Surgery in Cádiz and Barcelona, where he served as director of both. He was surgeon to King Ferdinand VI, who granted him a noble title in 1755. The other notable figure is Josep Mestres i Miquel (1868-1945), a physician, politician, and agronomist who founded the traveling chair of agriculture. He was president of the Tarragona Provincial Council, a member of the first Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Catalonia, and president of the Official College of Physicians of the province of Tarragona.

Places of interest

Parish Church of Sant Martí

The most notable building in the town is the parish church of Sant Martí, whose construction began in 1795. Of particular note is its magnificent, though unfinished, Neoclassical façade. Above the cornice is a triangular pediment supported by four columns and two pilasters with Corinthian capitals. Above the entrance is a relief depicting Saint Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar. Inside, the central nave and the side aisles on either side are particularly striking. The transept is crowned by a dome. The entire church is painted in soft shades of green.

Hermitage of the Virgin of the Rosary

Within the municipality lies the hermitage of Our Lady of the Rosary, whose construction date is unknown. The building has undergone several transformations over the years, and is now fully restored, having recovered the Gothic paintings in the presbytery and the coffered ceiling. Its unique features include the mural paintings in the presbytery and the decoration of the beams.

Dr. Pere Virgili Museum-Archive

The Dr. Pere Virgili Museum-Archive in Vilallonga del Camp is housed in an early 19th-century building purchased by the Vilallonga del Camp Town Council in 2000. Everything on the ground floor relates to the village of Vilallonga in the 18th century: its textile industry and brandy production; and lost trades such as cooper, saddler, miner, and espadrille/shoemaker. A scale model of Vilallonga as it appeared in the late 17th century, the year Pere Virgili was born, is also on display.

The first floor is dedicated to Dr. Pere Virgili. We must not forget that Pere Virgili was the one who established surgery in Spain. The title of the exhibition on the first floor is "Pere Virgili and 18th-Century Spanish Surgery: Technical Contributions." Among other things, it features various surgical instruments from the 18th and 19th centuries; a replica of an 18th-century ship's sickbay; a model of the Royal College of Surgery of Cádiz; and various wax models of different body parts used to teach anatomy to surgery students.

Ca Nicolau

Located at number 14 Sant Roc Street in Vilallonga del Camp, Ca Nicolau is a house built in the late 17th or early 18th century. It retains its original structure and has undergone very few renovations. In 2014, the Vilallonga del Camp Town Council reached an agreement with the owners of Ca Nicolau to use it as a rural center, dedicated to preserving and displaying artifacts related to the village's farming community that had been collected over the years.

Museum of Cinema

The Vilallonga del Camp Film Museum is the first film museum in the Camp de Tarragona region. It belongs to the Town Hall and is located in the Civic Center. The collection belongs to Josep Maria Vallès, a local resident and film enthusiast.

The museum displays all kinds of film-related material, such as projectors, film reels of different formats, graphic materials, etc. There is a space dedicated to the No-Do newsreels and a space reserved for the three cinemas that the municipality has had.