Family and friends of Pere Mª Orts i Bosch remember the scholar on the centenary of his birth

Family and friends of Pere Mª Orts i Bosch have remembered the scholar and historian on the day that marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. An intimate and private event organized by the historian's nephew, Vicente Ibañez, in Mare de Déu del Sofratge cemetery and in which several members of the municipal Corporation have participated, led by the acting mayor, Ana Pellicer, and the councilor of Culture, Jaime Jesús Pérez.
In front of the family pantheon that houses the ashes of Pere Mª Orts i Bosch, Adoptive Son of Benidorm who died on February 26, 2015, the poet Antonio Bravo has recited his composition 'Yo, Pere María (1921-2021)', included in a poetry book of next publication and in which the voice of the scholar is the narrator and protagonist.
Bravo has pointed out that "for Benidorm it is an honor to have among us a person of the stature of Pere Mª Orts i Bosch", who was "one of the most important patrons and humanists of the Valencian Community", as evidenced by the enormous artistic and cultural heritage bequeathed to different public institutions in the region, including the Benidorm City Council.
Specifically, Pere Mª donated to Benidorm a portable ship notary's office and six tapestries made at the Royal Tapestry Factory on his own commission and which constitute an exceptional artistic display that reflects the history of the ancient Kingdom of Valencia. Since the end of 2015, these tapestries have been displayed in the Assembly Hall of the City Council.
Pere Mª's nephew, on his part, has related that his uncle always "wanted to rest in Benidorm, with his family"; and for this reason, after his death in Valencia, his ashes were transferred to the Mare de Déu del Sofratge cemetery and rest in the pantheon of the Orts Berdín and Salvá Orts family.
The acting mayor recalled that from today until July 4, 2022, Benidorm commemorates ‘Pere Mª Orts i Bosch Year’ by “unanimous decision of the Corporation”. Pellicer stressed that during this event "we will honor and disseminate the work and life of Pere Mª Orts i Bosch, especially among the youngest, so that his figure and legacy remain in future generations." Likewise, she thanked the scholar's family for the invitation to participate in the ceremony held today.
The figure of Pere Mª Orts i Bosch
As he states in the agreement to commemorate the ‘Pere Mª Orts i Bosch Year’, the scholar is “a capital figure for Benidorm”. A person “with close ties” to the city, in December 1985 he was declared Official Chronicler and Adoptive Child and in January 1986 his figure and crucial contribution to the study and recovery of “local” history was recognized, giving his name to the first center of Secondary Education of the municipality ”.

"Unrepeatable person", two of his fields of study were the Carta de Poblament and the patron saint of Benidorm. Thus, in the summer of 1963 he discovered in the General Archive of Simancas the documentation on the discovery of the Virgin of Benidorm, which he captured two years later in 'An image of the Virgin of Benidorm'. Later, in 1971 he published ‘Arribada d’ an image of the Verge a Benidorm ’, the basis for the declared representation of Tourist Interest that is staged annually by the Associació Cultural i Recreativa La Barqueta.

Apart from this study on the history of Benidorm, Pere Maria Orts i Bosch donated part of his legacy to the city, as has already been pointed out. Added to this legacy is the generosity of his sister, Josefina Orts i Bosch, who donated to the city the collection of medals that Pere Maria received throughout his life from different entities and administrations.

His research and philanthropic work extended to the entire Valencian territory, by which he was awarded with different recognitions from institutions such as the Valencian Courts, the Valencian Academy of Llengua, the Valencian Council of Culture and the Royal Academy of San Carlos, to which the declaration of 'Pere Maria Orts i Bosch Year' will be sent in case they consider extending it to the rest of the Community.

Among the institutions to which the scholar bequeathed his artistic and documentary collection are Museu de Belles Arts Sant Pius V, the Arxiu del Regne de València and the Bibliotca Valenciana Nicolàs Primitiu.