Lidia Armengol I Vila
One of the Most Important Historical Figures in Andorrans that Toplist would like to introduce to readers first is Lidia Armengol I Vila. She an Andorran historian, and government servant, fought for the preservation of her nation's traditional language and way of life. She was on 13th September 1948 and died on 26th November 1991.
The capital city of the landlocked microstate of Andorra, located in the Pyrenees, Andorra la Vella, is where Armengol was born. She began her education at a French elementary school there before moving on to the University of Perpignan in neighboring France, where she finished it at the Lycee Jean Lurcat. In 1971, she earned her degree in Letters' Spanish department. She graduated from the same university with a master's degree the following year. She got her Diploma of Advanced Studies in Andorran Studies from the University of Perpignan in 1978. She enrolled in a historical demography course in 1984 at the Ecole Hautes Etudes de Sciences in Paris, France.
In 1970, at the age of 22, Armengol proposed the "Andorranization Program," which she advocated for. This initiative served as the framework for the nation's public education system, which in turn promoted broad cultural sensitivity. She and Antoni Morell I Mora were named co-heads of the nation's Faculty of Pedagogy on March 1, 1973. She subsequently received the positions of Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Director of the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports. By establishing Andorran educational facilities close to Spanish and French educational centers in the nation and organizing the study of the Catalan language, Andorran geography, and Andorran history, she contributed to the creation of the Andorran Training program. She established the National Library of Andorra in 1975, followed by the National Archives. The General Counsel then formed the Andorran Research Institute and appointed Armengol as its director a year later.
Armengol was chosen to serve as Director of Culture and Fine Arts when Prime Minister Oscar Ribas Reig assumed office in 1982. She was given the title of Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Culture by the newly elected Prime Minister Josep Pintat I Solans. She was named Deputy Secretary General of the Presidential Palace in 1990 when Ribas returned to the highest office in government.
After a protracted illness, Lidia Armengol passed away on November 26, 1991, at the age of 43, in the Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell in Andorra la Vella. Moreover, a thousand mourners came to her burial, which was conducted the following day at the Sant Esteve parish church of the city.
