L’Ermità de Meritxell Play Returns to Andorran Stage for Sanctuary Anniversary

The play L’Ermità de Meritxell, penned by monk Ambrós Caralt, returns to the stage on 26 September at 8pm in Canillo’s Sala Perecaus. Directed and adapted by playwright Mercè Canals at the behest of mossèn Ramon, the production coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Santuari de Nostra Senyora de Meritxell’s construction and aims to recover Andorran histories and traditions.

Students from the Escola de Teatre Entreacte will perform the work, with costumes designed by Anna Mangot. This marks only the second full staging in the Principat, following a single prior performance. Mossèn Ramon retrieved the script last year and commissioned Canals for a staged reading then, but limited funds postponed a complete production until now.

The initiative receives backing from the Andorran government and Comú de Canillo, each providing €7,500. Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Mònica Bonell and Canillo councillor Sílvia Mandicó stressed the need for institutional support to initiatives recovering and promoting Andorra’s popular culture.

The drama centres on a late 19th-century family thrown into turmoil when the heir opts to serve as Meritxell’s hermit, a role historically tasked with guarding the original hermitage. Mossèn Ramon called it “an important position for the country”. Canals preserved the 19th-century Andorran dialect while incorporating modern touches to amplify the family conflict.

The sanctuary’s roof formerly inscribed the names of past hermits, highlighting the tradition’s role in Andorra’s spiritual and cultural legacy. Bonell noted the play’s place among anniversary events preserving this patrimony.