The Story of Balaguer

The origins of the history of start at the beginning of the VIII century AD, and they are associated with the appearance of Arab and Berberian troops that invaded the Iberian Peninsula through the Strait of Gibraltar in 711. It seems that the conquerors organized a military camp in a place that today is located within the boundaries of Balaguer and is called Pla d’Almatà.

Over the years, this walled military settlement has been transformed into a residential area of the town of Madina Balaguer (cat. Madina Balaguer). The earliest surviving mention of Balaguer dates back to 863-864. https://all-andorra.com/the-story-of-balaguer-heritage-of-the-arab-and-berberian-conquests/

This is the story of the monk Aimo (cat. Aimó) from the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (cat. Saint-Germain-des-Prés), who, on behalf of the abbot and brethren of his monastery, describes the wanderings of the monk Odal (cat. Audald) in the composition “The Conception and Transfer of the Relics of Saint Vincent from Spain to the Monastery of Castres” (cat. Invenció i translació del cos de sant Vicenç des d’Hispània al monestir de Castres). The story names stops along the way at Balaguer: the castle of the city of Berga (cat. Berga), the Alps (cat. Alp), Llivia (cat. Llívia) and Carcassonne (cat. Carcassona). According to the story, in Balaguer, crowds of people came out to meet the relics of the saint, and one recently blind woman regained her sight.