The Tarragona council has expressed its heartfelt condolences following the death of josep maria sabaté y bosch, who was born in 1942 and served as the city's official chronicler since 2009. His profound understanding of Tarragona and his significant contributions to historical research were pivotal to his appointment, which filled a position that had been vacant since 1985, following the death of joan salvat y bové.
The role of the official chronicler, a traditional honorary position responsible for documenting the civil history of the city, was unanimously approved by the Tarragona council on 31 March 2009. Sabaté held a doctorate in Geography and History and was a professor emeritus at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). He had a long academic and professional career, which included teaching, research, and journalism.
Throughout his career, he also worked as a high school teacher and collaborated with various local media outlets, helping to bring the history and heritage of Tarragona closer to its citizens. Deeply connected to the serrallo neighbourhood, his parish, and the city's associative fabric, sabaté was actively involved in Tarragona's cultural and social life.
Additionally, he specialised in the Semana Santa (Holy Week) of Tarragona, serving as chronicler for the Agrupación de Asociaciones de Semana Santa de Tarragona and authoring numerous publications on this cultural and religious event.
