Series of 101 Festival Broadside Mostly Dedicated to the Virgin Mary but also to Local Saints and Religious Leaders

101 folio half sheets.  315 x 215 mm., [12 ¼ x 8 ½  inches]; nine are full folio sheets size printed two up.  A few stained, and some with repair, but generally in very good condition.

"GOIGS' (from Catalan; 'joys') are poetic compositions of a popular nature , which are sung to the Virgin Mary, to Christ or to the Saints.  They are sung collectively, within the framework of a religious act of a major event, such as a festival, a mass, a religious meeting, or a procession.  The purpose is to give a collective thanks from a congregation for blessings received, a prayer answered, or to ask for the physical or spiritual health of the community."  (Grup Encyclopedia Catalana)

Since the 16th century goigs have been printed in folio format and distributed by religious communities, churches, monasteries, and convents in Catalonia, especially the cities of Barcelona (45), Figueres (7), Girona (6), Lleida (3), Manresa (10), Mataró (1), Olot (2), Puigcerdà (1), Reus (3), Tarragona (1) Valencia (1), Vic (14), Zaragoza (1).   This collection includes 67 broadsides printed in Catalan and 34 in the Spanish language.  Most were printed in the 18th century, and only one from the 17th century. 

The texts are poems or songs, written to celebrate an event and to honor the Virgin, the Trinity, or Saints, both living and dead.  The poetic form evolved from the songs of the Troubadours and were written to stimulate both song and dance and present an important source of entertainment for a mostly illiterate public.  The goigs were also important educational tools as they helped conserve and standardize the language and were sources of knowledge for the local populations.  Some were used for political purposes and others were a bit satirical and bawdy and provided a bit of good-natured comic relief.   Some of the authors of the poems have been identified, and include the names of Pere Serafi, Francesca Vincent Garcia, Rafael Bover. 

Sixteen of the goigs were printed by women, the widows of established printers who died and their business were continued by their wives.  The list includes Teresa Piferrer Viuda, Tecla Pla Viuda, Viuda y Fill de Sierra of Barcelona and Eulalia Piferrer all printers in Barcelona, and Viuda Compte of Reus.

 This collection of 101 Goigs, were all printed in cities of Catalonia, with the exception of one in Valencia and one other in Zaragoza. The oldest was printed in 1674, and the majority of them during the 18th century. The design of these broadsides was consistent through the centuries, and this demonstrates the success with which this format had with the public.

More images are available upon request.

[The above description is a loose translation of the Wikipedia Article on Goigs and edited for clarity.]