Artés

History

The name of Artés is believed to derive from the Latin word Artium , which means "fortified hill". This is based on the evidence of the existence of a 6th-century fortified church on the top of the hill of Artés, where the first settlers began to expand the village into the valley. Little evidence of the Prehistory of Artés has been discovered to date. However, a document from the year 938 indicates the presence of three dolmens; and abundant samples of Iberian pottery have been found in the valley of Salabernada. The archeological remains of the Classical Period are numerous and confirm the existence of continuous settlement for seven centuries. In particular, archeological finds have been made at Matacans, where there used to be a Roman villa, and at the Plaça Vella (Old Square) where three Roman inscriptions of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, one necropolis and an ancient Paleochristian Church -that can be dated between 6th and 7th centuries- were found. The name of Artés is one of the first documented names of all the towns in Bages. Specifically, a grant dated on 24 June 889, by which the King Odó gave to the Church of Sant Pere de Vic several goods and rights; among them de Valley of Artés.