Starting August 2022, this country bulletin series offers a curated cultural women-focused list for each country in the world. It will go through the countries in alphabetical order and take (approximately) eight years to complete. Subscribe to this newsletter to ensure you receive a country bulletin in your inbox every other Tuesday.
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Andorra
Continent: Europe
Capital City: Andorra la Vella
Official language: Catalan (Andorra is the only country where Catalan is the sole official language.)
Andorra measures about 13 miles by 13 miles, with 80,000 people calling it home. There is no airport in Andorra, it instead must be accessed through the south of France or the northeast of Spain.
Nestled in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, Andorra is a tiny country that is not widely known and is almost impossible to see on the map. Yet, Andorra has a fascinating history that dates back to the time of Charlemagne. This video is a great 10-minute overview of the history of Andorra. A new fun fact that I learnt and can not stop telling people about? Andorra is a co-principality, with the Bishop of Urgell (Spain) serving as one of its co-princes and the French president serving as the other. This makes the French president the only elected monarch in the world!
Another fun fact: Since Andorra began qualifying for the Olympics in 1976, it has sent athletes to every summer and winter games – 58 athletes in total (21 women and 37 men) in sports as varied as swimming, alpine skiing, shooting and judo. Despite this, the country has never had an athlete win a gold, silver or bronze medal. I know who I will be cheering for in the next Olympics!
Escudella is considered Andorra’s national dish. This big hearty stew traditionally contains pork with seasonal vegetables; however, it can also be found with a variety of meats including chicken, veal, meatballs, pig snout and trotters, bone marrow bone and butifarra sausage (a Catalonian specialty). To ensure it gets you through those winter days in the mountains, they also add in large pasta shells called sopa de galets or sopa grossa. For meat lovers, your recipe is here but I also found a vegetarian option and a vegan one.
The patron saint of Andorra is the Virgin of Meritxell, whose name derives from Merieg, or midday, the solar and moral opposite of midnight. The Sanctuary of Meritxell Basilica is the most important religious temple in Andorra. It houses the image of Our Lady of Meritxell, as well as other Andorran saints. Due to its importance, in 2014, Pope Francis granted the temple the title of minor basilica, making it the only such place of worship in the Principality. She is called upon to protect Andorra from foreign threat as can be heard in the hymn sung to her on September 8th, Andorran National Day. The chorus goes:
If war should threaten us
Your sacred mantle
And your prodigious power
Will protect this land
From its terrible torment
And repel the enemy
Teresa Colom is an Andorran poet and writer who gained prominence in the Catalan-speaking world through her six poetry collections. Her debut work of fiction, entitled Ms Keaton and other beasts, won the 2016 Premi Maria Àngels Anglada (a Catalan literary award). As far as I can tell, none of her works have been fully translated into English (yet!), but The Guardian has a wonderfully dark extract from her debut which was translated by Mara Faye Lethem.
As there are currently no Andorran women authors whose works have been translated into English, I opted to read Andorra Revealed for this country book. Written by expats who have made their home in Andorra, this anthology is filled with stories and essays about “one of the world’s more enigmatic countries”. If you are planning on traveling to Andorra or just appreciate fun facts then I would recommend this book for something to dip in and out of. You can learn about Boris Skossyreff who proclaimed himself King of Andorra and ruled for 11 days, the long history of Andorran witches, how the Andorran countryside has changed over the decades, and the day when all females give the males they love books and all males give their loves a red rose. It is a fun addition to any eccentric global library!
Andorra is one of only two countries in Europe (along with Malta) to have a total ban on abortion which means that people in need of abortions are compelled to travel abroad, mainly to France and Spain to seek their healthcare (eek). Vanessa Mendoza Cortés is a psychologist and the founder and President of the feminist activist group Stop Violències. The organization spearheads efforts not only to legalize abortion in Andorra, but to shift the conversation around women’s reproductive rights and gender-based violence. In 2020, after Cortés spoke about abortion rights and women’s rights at a United Nations forum, the public prosecutor brought three criminal defamation charges against her following a complaint by the Andorran government. Two charges have since been dropped but one remains and brings with it a potential fine of up to 30,000 euros and a criminal record if convicted. There has been no date set yet for the trial.
Pablo Picasso captured the sardana dance in his 1953 charcoal drawing, La Sardane de la Paix (The Sardana of Peace). The Sardana and the Contrapàs are the best known traditional dances from Cataluña. The sardana is characterized by joining raised hands in a circle and dancing with slow, small, precise steps. The circle slowly turns and widens as more and more people join the dance, following the timing and movements of a designated leader. The circle formation is thought to have come from ancient folk dances that existed around the Mediterranean region, specifically around Empordà in Girona. First mentioned in the 1500s and originated for women, the sardana is performed with high-pitched pipes and percussion instruments. The twin dance, the contrapàs, originated among monks and is done with skipping steps in a circle formed by linking hands. At some point, the men and women of Cataluña made a comprimise so that all can do both dances (I learnt about the history of these dances through this fantastic thesis). Here is a video of the contrapàs being performed at the Andorra la Vella Festival and the sardana for the Day of the Constitution.
One of the most fascinating documentaries I have seen in a long time, The Andorra Hustle is a global financial thriller about how Andorra became the center of a controversy involving the Spanish and American governments. A private bank in Andorra was unexpectedly shut down by these foreign governments in an effort to thwart the Catalonian Independence Movement. For the people of Andorra, a high percentage of whom had their savings in this bank, this was devastating as over night they lost their life savings and when then convicted of money laundering crimes that they had nothing to do with. This documentary is available to stream for free on Youtube and I highly recommend giving it a watch. It is a shocking and infuriating story from beginning to end.
Andorra’s capital, Andorra la Vella, sits high in the Pyrenees. image via ricksteves.com Due to its location in the Pyrenees, Andorra is one of the best places for skiing and snowboarding in Europe. Come summer, the country is all about hiking. The GRP (Grande Randonee Pays) is a hiking trail that circumnavigates the whole country and takes about a week to fully complete. Part of the trail is through the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley, declared a UNESCO Heritage of Mankind site. UNESCO states “The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is a microcosm of the way the inhabitants have harvested the scarce resources of the high Pyrenees over the past millennia to create a sustainable living environment in harmony with the mountain landscape. The valley is a reflection of an ancient communal system of land management - four communities own land within the property - that has survived over 700 years.” The views look breathtaking, you can stay in mountain huts, and after a serious full-body workout you can head to one of the largest spas in Europe. This travel video is filled with tips if you are considering visiting Andorra and Epic Andorra are specialists in offering unique experiences in the country.
Rosa Pons and her daughters Meritxell and Mireia, 6th and 7th generation jewelers who conceived of of The Embassy in Andorra. image via theembassystore.ad Rosa Pons and her daughters Meritxell and Mireia, 6th and 7th generation jewelers wanted to demonstrate their support to their beloved country of Andorra. This led them to conceive of The Embassy, an innovative four-floor space that combines a concept store with more than 100 exclusive brands, a gastronomic space, Chef’s Table Andorra, led by Michelin-star chefs, and areas to relax, meet, and attend events. Located in Andorra’s iconic El Diamant Building (created by the Andorran architect Xavier Orteu to symbolize a diamond), the building is the ideal home for Rosa Pons latest initiative, as her first brand Suïssa Joiers has been the leading jeweler of Andorra for decades.
Thank you so much for reading the Andorran edition of the country series! Please leave a comment of anything you have learnt from this newsletter and if you have any other Andorran recommendations or insights to add to the conversation! Follow along on Instagram for more @werenaissancewomen.
xxx
