Restoration of a 15th-century 'capbreu' in Palafrugell

The Municipal Archive is restoring a historical document with data from 1487 to preserve the memory of the priory of Santa Anna.

Detail of an ancient, fragile manuscript with aged paper texture.
IA

Detail of an ancient, fragile manuscript with aged paper texture.

The Municipal Archive of Palafrugell has begun the restoration of a handwritten 'capbreu' from the Pere Mascort Plana collection, a 15th-century document containing information on rents and domains of the priory of Santa Anna in Palafrugell and Mont-ras.

The volume, drafted between 1728 and 1772, incorporates historical data dating back to 1487, and in some cases, documents censuses from 1526. The intervention, which started at the end of 2025, aims to stabilize the document, repair its most fragile parts, and prepare it for digitization.
Restorers Mariona Palomino and Ariadna Olivé Soler have carried out the first phase of the work. This included cleaning the manuscript, consolidating the support, and repairing the most delicate booklets, following conservation and reversibility criteria.
Once this initial stage was completed, the document has been digitized. This digitization will facilitate access to its content for researchers and citizens, while reducing direct handling of the original, thus ensuring its long-term preservation.
During the current year 2026, the restoration is expected to be completed with the rebinding of the volume, final assembly, and the necessary final consolidation treatments.
A 'capbreu' is a historical record where lands, houses, rights, and rents that holders had to pay to a lord or institution were registered. This type of documentation is fundamental for understanding the organization of property and the economic and social relations of a territory over time.