anciently GERUNDA, a city of Spain, was well fortified till the French invasion of the Peninsula in 1808. It is the capital of the modern province of the same name—one of the four into which Catalonia has recently been divided. It stands on a declivity, and at the foot of a steep hill surmounted by the fortress of Monjuï, near the junction of the Ter and the Oña, 54 miles N.E. of Barcelona. The name of Gerona, is thought by many to be a compound of the Celtic ger, “near,” and oind, “confluence.” The form of Gerona is nearly triangular; and it is defended by the Monjuï, which is a square fort 720 feet on each side, with bastions and outworks of various kinds. The city wall is now in a very dilapidated state. Gerona boasts that it is the city in which St Paul and St James first rested when they came to Spain. During the time of the Moors it generally took part with them, though not unfrequently it changed sides. Its Emir Soleyman was in alliance with Pepin so early as 759 A.D. It was taken by Charlemagne in 785; but the Moors regained and sacked it in 795. Soon after, it was recovered by its counts, and then passing to Aragon, it gave the title of prince to the king’s eldest son. The most remarkable and interesting relic of the Moorish period is an elegant bath in the Capuchin Convent; it is a light pavilion rising from an octangular stylobate. The modern town contains three plazas. The part of the city situated on the left bank of the Oña is called the Mercadal, and is very ancient, but now much dilapidated—the results of the French siege and bombardment. The bishop’s see was founded so early as 786 A.D. by Charlemagne; and the ancient cathedral was pulled down and rebuilt in 1316. The approach to this cathedral is very handsome and imposing.

There is a superb flight of 86 steps, raised by Bishop Zuazo in 1607, leading to the façade, which rises in tiers, order above order, and terminates with an oval rose-window. The upper story of the hexagonal belfry tower commands a fine panoramic view. In the cathedral are the tombs of Ramon Berenguer II., and his wife Ermesendis, who died in 1058 A.D. In the archives in the cloister are some early MSS. and a copy of the Bible written in 1374 by Bernardin Mutina for Charles V. of France, but ascribed here to Charlemagne.

Gerona has been several times blockaded. In the war of the succession, Philip V. came against it with 19,000 troops, and abolished its university and its liberties. Again, in June 1808 with 300 men of the Ulster regiment under O’Daly, Gerona took off Duhesme with 6000 men. Once more, in May 1809, it was besieged by the French with 35,000 troops under Verdier, Augereau, and St Cyr, who bombarded the city; and though the resistance was dogged and desperate, at last famine and disease effected what force of arms could not accomplish, compelling the governor Alvarez to capitulate on 12th December 1809. In this siege the French spent 20,000 bombs, 60,000 balls, and lost 15,000 men. The manufactures are coarse woollen and cotton goods, hosiery, paper, and soap. The trade of the city is, however, very insignificant. Every one here seems to live alone, giving the place a very melancholy look. It has no theatre, no public amusements, no common rendezvous. The population amounts to about 8000, of whom one-fourth are priests, monks, nuns, and students. (Memorias, por J. A. Nieto y Samaniego, Tarragona, 1810; Resumen de los Grandezas, por Juan Gasper Roig y Yalpi, fol. Barcelona, 1678; Ford’s Handbook of Spain.)