The gift of the Bonada family from Serrat
The Bonada family from Serrat has produced a good many doctors in all medical specialities, orthopaedic surgery probably being the one in which they excel most due to their outstanding ability to fix broken bones.
The Bonadas have been thought to possess this gift since well before any of their members first obtained a degree in medicine. It was as early as 1690 when the French army invaded, for the umpteenth time in a short period of time, the downtrodden lands in the Ribes Valley.The objective of the French was to transform the valley into scorched land after demolishing its ramparts and castles. It was necessary to prevent the valley from becoming an over fortified territory and thus an offensive platform pointing at France. That year the walls of Pardines crumbled, knocked down by the French military. Other castles and fortresses in the valley underwent the same fate. The French did not spare an inch of land. Then, they headed for Serrat. The inhabitants of this area must have panicked and run for shelter in the Church of Fustanyà while the French went about their business. They broke into Can Bonada, which they turned upside down and burnt a few things. When the French soldiers withdrew, after having destroyed as much as they could, the inhabitants of Serrat returned home. Pere Joan Bonada Peyrotó saw his home burnt down and, among other objects, he spotted a Saint Christ broken into pieces on the floor. He picked it up and with utmost care he went about putting the pieces back together with wax. Legend has it that from that moment on Pere Joan Bonada and his descendants were given the power to repair broken bones.
The fame of this legendary power among the Bonadas spread throughout the region and neighbouring lands. Pere Bonada Gatius (born 1794-1872), descendant of Pere Joan Bonada, lived in Olot during his childhood. His popularity was such that constant visits were always paid to him by people with bone problems. Being a child, he didn’t pay much attention to them and he would refuse to use his healing powers. Hence, every patient knocking on his door would bring along a present to obtain the child’s attention.
The Bonadas eventually attended university and the direct descendants of Pere Joan Bonada Peyrotó have excelled as highly recognised orthopaedists . Nevertheless, according to popular tradition, little did they need to attend university since, unlike the rest of mortals.
“they were born with the healing gift”.
Pere Bonada et alii, Història de la Família Bonada (em premsa). Capdevila (1789); 202v.
Jordi Mascarella i Miquel Sitjar. Llegendes i creences de Vall de Núria i Vall de Ribes. Farell, març de 2003.
Els primers orígens de Can Bonada
Segons consta en el primer document que posseïm, adquiriren aquesta casa i les seves terres per la donació que féu en Bartomeu de l’Artanyà el 19 de gener de 1519 a Madona Joana, esposa de Joan Bonada amb la condició de fer dir una trentena de misses per l’ànima del seu pare Joan de l’Artanyà, al Sr. Rector o Vicari de Fustanyà. El document diu així:
“A 19 de gener de 1519 rebut per mi Guillem Garcia lloctinent de notari en la vall de Ribes per los honorables cònsols de dita vall.
Jo Bartomeu de l’Artanya del lloc de Pontac del bisbat de Tarba, en la terra de Bearn, hereter universal de lo Joan d’Artanya (difunt);, àlias Tambori (difunt); mon pare, així com a hereter faig do en donació pura i irrevocable que es diu entre vius, dono a vós madona Joana Bonada muller d’en Joan Bonada habitant en lo veïnat de Serrat de la parròquia de Sant Serni de Fustanyà en el bisbat d’Urgell.
Això és que do aquella casa mia que a mi m’es pervinguda de mon pare, Joan d’Artanya (difunt) alies dit Tambori, la qual casa es vulgarment anomenada la casa del graner de monsenyor Callar situada en lo dit veïnat de Serrat la qual casa us dono tots los drets que pertanyen a la dita casa això és terres, horts, casals i casalicis, emprius de boscs i d’aigües i de totes coses això és pertanyents a la dita casa segons els altres habitants tenen per el senyor mossèn Damià de Callar i segons es mostra en carta fermada per dit senyor, tocada i closa per monsenyor Baldiri Genover notari de la vall de Ribes la qual casa fa cada any de cens el dit senyor mossèn Callar en un ral d’argent pagador en la festa de Sant Miquel de setembre cada any la qual donació us faig amb tal pacte i condició que hagueu de pagar i fer un trentenari de Sant Amador el dit mon pare i que sia cantat per lo rector o vicari de Fustanyà per l’ànima del dit mon pare i la dita Joana Bonada accepta la dita donació fent infinites gràcies el Joan d’Artanya i promet donar compliments en lo dit trentanari de Sant Amador dins 6 mesos primers vinents i donar bon compliments i d’això presta juraments en poder del notari sota escrit etc. Fias largo modo per vos en forma etc. jurem etc.
Testimonis mossèn Jaume prevere vicari de Queralbs i Joan Morera àlias Mug de Fustanyà”
Fa pensar el fet de la donació, per quin motiu intercanviava una propietat només per una trentena de misses, per el pare difunt del donador. No hi havia cap lligam familiar, el donador era del Bearn i la Joana de Serrat. Podia haver-hi una amistat, una estimació, un agraïment?. Molt difícil d’explicar-ho. La distancia de Pontac a la vall de Ribes era de varis dies amb carruatges o cavalleries. Del 1463 al 1492 la vall de Ribes va formar part del regne de França, així el 1463 els homes de la vall pacten amb el rei Lluís de França, el manteniment dels drets que ja tenien quan depenien de la corona catalana. És possible que en aquell temps Joan d’Artanyà, difunt, pare de Bartomeu, fos un militar de l’Exercit francès o un funcionari i que comprés al Mas Graner. Una vegada recuperat el Comtat del Rosselló i la Cerdanya, els era prohibit als francesos i estrangers adquirir propietats a la vall de Ribes. En Joan Bonada que venia de Pontac, podia haver comprat a baix preu el Mas Graner a Bartomeu d’Artanyà, i al no poder anar al seu nom, puix tampoc era natiu de la vall, simular una donació a la seva esposa Joana Pradell. Aquesta simulació podria ser l’origen de les primeres desgravacions fiscals de l’època.
Sargatal i Roca. Treball de recerca de Batxillerat. Juny 2002. Refer la casa. Projecte de rehabilitació d’un mas concret.
Fustanyà Church
Fustanyà is a community annexed to Queralbs, which is situated in the Northern part of the Rialp plateau, to the left of the Freser river, looming from the Tut Rock, at the foot of the Pòrtoles Ridge.
When the inhabitants of Fustanyà set about building their parish, the witches and sorcerers that lived in the vicinity of the Rialp caves, were deeply intrigued by the size of the work underway, but remained unsuspecting of the future use of the building. Willing to be on good terms with their closest neighbours, they agreed to help them.
Every night, they would fly to faraway quarries in order to find the best polished rocks and would leave them at the building foundation.
Thus, every morning, the people from Fustanyà would find the neatest, easiest stones for laying close at hand. This went on for a while but when the witches found out that a belfry was going to be erected and that the building under construction would be a church, they refused to help anymore. From then on, the people from Fustanyà had to use very simple stones to finish the temple. This is why the church was built in two stages. In the lower part the stones are neat ,square and of great quality whereas at the height where the roof and the belfry converge, the stone is rather unpolished.
Nevertheless, even without the help of the witches and sorcerers, the church was finalised and the outcome is very beautiful. Of Romanesque style, it is dedicated to Saint Sadurní.
Gonçal Cutrina i Sorinas. Llegendes i tradicions de les Valls del Ter i del Freser. Edicions Maideu. Ripoll, 1981.