Sculpture “A la Sardana”

At the point where Girona Street and Sant Quintí Street converge, just at the southern entrance of the town centre, we find the sculpture “A la Sardana” since 1984, a permanent tribute to the declaration of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia as Ciutat Pubilla de la Sardana that same year. The work was commissioned by the Penedesian artist Ramón Ruiz, who opted for a discourse that was also abstract but clearly evocative of the most emblematic dance of the country.

The piece starts from a semicircular bench lined with artificial stone and tiles that emulates the roll; above it rise two figures formed by metal pillars —symbolizing the legs and verticality of the dancers—, iron arms stretched in a linked position and heads resolved with stainless steel spheres that reflect the light of the street. The combined use of stone, concrete, marble, stainless steel and corten steel gives the whole a contrast of textures that dialogues with the mixed architecture of the surrounding road axis.

From a historical point of view, the work crystallizes a moment of cultural effervescence: in 1984 Sant Sadurní hosted the official proclamation of Ciutat Pubilla, a title that each year the Sardanista Federation of Catalonia grants to a different population. That September, the town experienced original sardanas, cobbles from all over and the largest audience in local history, at which time this sculpture was discovered as a tangible symbol of commitment to dance.

Over the years, the piece has witnessed multiple gatherings, major party concerts and photographs of Sardanist groups performing at the end of each dance. Despite the remarkable resistance of the materials, the sculpture today presents small losses in the ceramic framework of the base, the result of the impact of traffic and some small acts of vandalism. The consistory has planned, according to the Municipal Art Fund, a restoration plan focused on the replacement of tiles and the application of a water-repellent seal to metals to stop oxidation.

The location, at street level and without any kind of elevated curb, facilitates universal access; families often gather to photograph themselves reproducing the typical height of the arms of the sardana. At night, the adjacent lantern projects rotating shadows reminiscent of the circular movement of the dance, giving the work a second visual life. Its value, however, goes beyond mere physical presence: it is a meeting point for local gangs, a symbol of Penedès identity and an unequivocal mark that the people live the sardana not as a spectacle, but as an inseparable part of the social fabric.

In the area of heritage, the Generalitat has listed it as a commemorative monument and the Museu de la Música de Barcelona has on occasion cited it as a paradigmatic example of fusion between urban art and popular musical tradition. Despite not having specific legal protection, popular pressure for it to be preserved in situ is unanimous, and every September 11 a bouquet of flowers is deposited there when the Cobla Principal del Llobregat performs “La Santa Espina” next to it.

Visiting the sculpture “A la Sardana” is, in short, getting closer to the festive soul of Sant Sadurní: the sound of the screams that resonates between the streets, the roll that becomes large and small according to the beat, and the collective will to keep alive a dance that speaks of community, balance and brotherhood.

Open to visitors: Yes
Accessible: Yes
More information: Link 1