catholic

Solsona restores its first baptismal book, that dates back to 1565

May 8, 2017 01:36 PM | ACN / Estefania Escolà/ Andrea Llovera

In 1545 the Catholic Church in Catalonia ordered the keeping of register of all the baptisms and deaths in local parishes. This way, the Church was the pioneer in the register of persons, since the current civil registry was not established until years later. Only a few cities still preserve all the baptismal books, and Solsona, in Lleida, is one of them. The city even keeps the first baptismal book of its history,  that dates back to 1565. The Center for the Restoration of movable cultural heritage of Catalonia has spent 6 months on its restoration and has reproduced it in a copy that everyone from Solsona will be able to access.