Quart

Quart: Between Girona and the Gavarres

Quart first appears in medieval charters not as a distinct entity, but as land associated with Girona. Its location was always defined by the strip of territory between the city and the Gavarres massif. This geography established its historical role as a transitional space, a place one passed through when moving from the plains of the Ter river toward the hills. That position still informs its character today, part of the Gironès region yet holding a separate, quieter pace.

The Mark of Clay

The identity of Quart is inseparable from its pottery, or terrissa. Local clay deposits supported small-scale production for centuries. Historical records note kilns and a steady output of utilitarian ware: jugs for water, pots for cooking, containers for oil. This was not an industrial operation but a dispersed craft, with family workshops operating near fields and within the village itself.

The work was functional, made for rural and domestic life in the surrounding comarca. While the scale has diminished, the tradition has not vanished. You can still find artisans working with methods that recall older practices, and attentive observation reveals traces of old kilns integrated into later structures. The craft offers a tangible link to the village’s material past.

Sant Mateu and the Fabric of the Village

The parish church of Sant Mateu, largely rebuilt in early modern times, organises the old centre. The parish itself is documented much earlier. As elsewhere in this region, the church became the stable point around which the settlement coalesced. The surrounding streets developed at a domestic scale, with two-storey stone houses and simple courtyards.

The architecture reflects a practical, working community focused on pottery and agriculture. There are no grand manors. Later neighbourhoods, built as Girona expanded and Quart became a residential option, blend into this older core without erasing it. The original layout remains perceptible.

On the Edge of the Woods

The municipality’s terrain shifts from cultivated fields to the initial slopes of the Gavarres. Paths leading out of the village make this transition clear. Open plots give way to Mediterranean woodland of pine and holm oak. Historically, these hills were not scenery but a resource, providing firewood, charcoal, and grazing. The landscape was an extension of daily work.

This gradient from plain to forest remains a key feature. It shows how life here was shaped by access to two different kinds of land.

A Practical Guide

Quart lies immediately adjacent to Girona, on the road toward the Gavarres. The drive from the city takes minutes. The historic centre is small and walkable.

To understand the place, focus on two things. Look for the physical traces of its pottery tradition in workshop buildings and contemporary craft. Then, walk from the village edge into the transitioning landscape toward the hills. These two elements—clay and geography—explain much about how Quart has persisted alongside its larger neighbour.