Catalonia’s oldest resident Angelina Torres has passed away at the remarkable age of 112 years old.
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The Barcelona resident, who was born in 1913, was not only the oldest person in Catalonia but also held the title of Spain’s oldest woman and ranked among the world’s 40 most senior citizens according to the Gerontology Research Group.
Torres witnessed extraordinary historical changes throughout her long life.
Interestingly, she recalled speaking with construction workers laying the foundations of the Sagrada Família during her childhood.When she asked what they were building, they reportedly told her: “We’re making a church that Catalonia will be proud of.”
Catalonia’s Centenarian Population Reaches Record High
Meanwhile, Torres’s longevity reflects a broader demographic trend across the region. According to recent statistics, Catalonia has surpassed 3,000 centenarians for the first time this year. This figure has been steadily increasing since the 1980s, with the number of people aged 100 or older practically doubling every decade.
Furthermore, this growth demonstrates the progressive aging of Catalonia’s population. The trend has remained stable since 2018, with younger populations decreasing while older age groups continue to expand significantly. Consequently, stories like Torres’s are becoming increasingly common across the region.
Generalitat President Salvador Illa expressed his condolences to Torres’s family, recalling his visit to her Barcelona home last year. He described her as “a wise woman, full of faith and kindness, very hardworking and with great strength.” Illa particularly remembered her advice: “We must help each other, with full hands, never tight.”
Torres’s genetic heritage certainly contributed to her remarkable lifespan. Her mother lived nearly to 100, while one sister reached 93. She once humorously remarked about her health: “Doctors have had to do very little work with me.”
The title of Catalonia’s oldest resident now passes to Carme Noguera, born in Olot in 1914, who recently celebrated her 111th birthday. This transition highlights how Barcelona’s changing social demographics continue to shape community needs and public services across generations.
Angelina Torres’s life spanned monumental historical events from before World War I through to the 21st century. She was the last living Catalan born before the outbreak of the First World War and remembered Barcelona when people danced in the streets during celebrations. “For Sant Joan, we went to Montjuïc, to the Font del Gat, to eat coca,” she recalled in a March interview with the ACN.
Her passing marks the end of an era while simultaneously highlighting the growing phenomenon of extreme longevity in modern Catalonia. As demographic shifts continue, understanding the needs of Barcelona’s aging population becomes increasingly important for urban planning and social services.
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