Josep Romaguera

Who was Josep Romaguera?

Josep Romaguera is the author of the only emblem book ever published in the Catalan language, the Atheneo de Grandesa. His work consists of prose, poetry and sermons. His writing is typical of Baroque style.

Romaguera was born in Barcelona during the Catalan Revolt against Castile in 1642 and lived until 1723, according to the epitaph of him published in the manuscript Historia Eclesiástica del principado de Cataluña by the Mercedarian historian Pere Serra i Postius. There is no known mention of him in public life until he began his ecclesiastical career in 1661, the date of his first benefice; he served both in the Inquisition and as a Canon Law Professor at the University of Barcelona. Romaguera’s publications, apart from the Atheneo, include sermons preached in Castilian on various Saints’ festival days; his other works, including apparently the second and/or third volumes of the Atheneo, are lost. According to the epitaph by Postius, Romaguera was a renowned preacher and intellectual, and also represented the Catholic Church in the Courts convened by Philip V in 1701–1702.