Festival of the Light in Spain

The Miracle of the light is a legend of the Manresa tradition that explains how a mysterious light from Montserrat crossed the stained glass windows of the old church of Carmen on February 21, 1345, which made it possible to put an end to the excommunication that weighed on the city. The excommunication had been decreed by the bishop of Vich because of the passage of La Acequia de Manresa through the bishopric's lands. The ditch channeled the water of the Llobregat from Balsareny to Manresa and, with its construction, the water shortage suffered by the town ended.

In 1339 the town councilors decided that an irrigation ditch had to be built to bring water to the town in order to ensure its collection, so that it would not depend on rainfall. Beyond the city's means, they asked the king for help, which they obtained on August 23, 1339, when Pedro III granted permission for the construction of the irrigation ditch along with a tax rebate to encourage its construction.

Thus, in 1339 its layout was decided and the levelling work began. The work was entrusted to Guillem Catà from Barcelona and the brothers Simó and Pere de Rodener.

The first lawsuits came from the bishop of Vich and the inhabitants of Sampedor who refused to pay taxes for its construction.

Probably at the end of 1340, the bishop of Vich, Galzeran Sacosta, as lord of the jurisdiction of Sallent, was opposed to the irrigation canal passing through his municipality, which could also cause a drop in the flow of the Llobregat as it passed through Sallent.

After a year of negotiations and discussions, the bishop excommunicated the workers and councilors of Manresa, suspending the practice of all the sacraments and all the liturgy in the territory of the city.

In spite of everything, the workers of the irrigation ditch continued working on the construction of the canal. It is known that, in the year 1344, they were working on the construction of the Vilar bridge in the municipality of Sallent.

The conflict with the bishop lasted until 1345, and was resolved when, after the death of Bishop Galzeran Sacosta, his successor, Miguel de Ricomar, maintained a more dialoguing attitude, accepting the compensation offered by the city.