Jaumet del flabiol

Jaume Traveries i Riera (1871-1955), known as Jaumet del Flabiol, was born on April 4, 1871, in Sant Hilari, at Mas Claver, property of the Carbonell family. In 1886, he was orphaned and took care of his sister Teresa, who was married to Josep Pidemunt. Jaumet was mute. He was probably born that way, although it is said that he lost his voice due to the great fright caused by a fire at the house where he lived as a child. One of Jaumet’s most characteristic features was that he always carried a flautist. This is why in some postcards from the time he is referred to as “Jaumet el flabiolaire.”

During the winter, he helped with farming tasks at Mas Claver, but when summer came and the Font Picant spa received the holidaymakers, Jaumet took the opportunity to ask for alms. This did not please everyone, and the spa authorities asked him to stop coming.

In 1915, Jaumet began to deliver water jugs from the Font Vella to the holidaymakers. He still lived at Mas Claver, walking back and forth, but sometimes he would stay in the basement of the Town Hall, where they let him sleep whenever he wished.

In 1917, a group of holidaymakers decided to buy him a cart to save him work and allow him to carry more jugs at once (he used to carry two in each hand). After some time, he put up a sign on the cart proclaiming him “the water carrier of the Font Vella.” In the 1940s, the Town Hall bought him another cart, which is currently on display at the tourist office.

When his sister Teresa was widowed, she had to leave Mas Claver to go work as a servant. Jaumet spent a few winters in La Cellera with his brother, but soon settled permanently in Sant Hilari. Mr. Carner, a holidaymaker with a house on the Font Vella promenade, gave him a small house on Petrinxo Street (where it was called Carner’s orchard, located at the top of what is now called Jaumet’s Passage) to a childless couple, Conrad Camprodon and María Font. This couple took Jaumet in, and he lived there until his death on June 12, 1955. On the day of his funeral, all the shops and businesses closed. Many people attended the funeral, and it was reported by the press.

Jaumet has become one of the most beloved figures in Sant Hilari, as demonstrated by the fact that, in 1994, a giant puppet was created to represent him, there are traditional sweets named after him, and on March 23, 2019, a life-size sculpture of him was unveiled  “Escultura d’en Jaumet” on Vic Street, one of the places where he used to pass while delivering water.

There are many authors who talk about Jaumet. For further information on the literary texts where he is mentioned, you can visit the following link: Literary Route.