Oldest woman in Catalonia turns 112: ‘I witnessed the birth of La Sagrada Familia’

Angelina Torres, the oldest woman in Catalonia, celebrates her 112th birthday on Tuesday.

Following the passing of 117-year-old Catalan Maria Branyas in 2024, Torres has become the oldest person in both Catalonia and Spain. She is also the 57th oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).

“Every day, I ask myself why I have reached this age,” Torres told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) one day before her birthday.

Today, Torres lives next to la Sagrada Família in Barcelona with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter, and says that she takes no medication.

Born on March 18, 1913, near the western Catalan city of Lleida. Her mother was a housewife, and her father died in a carriage accident when she was a baby, forcing her mother to move the family and her seven children to Barcelona to find work.

Witnessing the construction of Sagrada Família

More than a century later, Torres says that she has seen Barcelona change before her years.

She recalls an encounter she had with construction workers laying the foundation of la Sagrada Familia when she was a young girl.

When asked what they were building, they answered: “We are building a church that Catalonia can be proud of”.

She adds that she has witnessed the construction of the basilica almost from the very beginning and that it is “beautiful.” 

Five times more centenarians since 2000

Although only few reach Angelina Torres’ age, the number of people living to celebrate their 100th birthday has been on the rise for quite a few years.

In 1981, there were 140 centenarians. By 2000, that figure had increased to 540, according to the Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Since then, that number has surged fivefold, reaching 2,855 centenarians in 2024, and hitting a record 2.919 by January 1 of this year.

In terms of gender, 80% of those who reach 100 years are women.