Pere Mata psychiatric hospital in Reus saw hundreds of deaths during Civil

The Institut Pere Mata in Reus became one of the most challenging locations in Catalonia's rear guard during the Spanish Civil War, with nearly 500 patient deaths attributed to starvation, lack of resources, and overcrowding. This period saw devastating mortality rates among those admitted, according to historical accounts.

Across Catalonia, psychiatric centres recorded thousands of deaths, making them some of the deadliest places away from the front lines. In Reus, the Pere Mata's death toll highlights a humanitarian crisis that disproportionately affected mentally ill patients, who were considered among the most vulnerable and forgotten groups.

Daily life at the centre was marked by food shortages, poor hygiene, and overpopulation. Like other Catalan psychiatric hospitals, patients were relegated to the lowest priority in a context of increasingly limited resources and a collapsed healthcare system.

Management Changes and Deterioration

During the initial months of the war, trade unions managed institutions such as Pere Mata. The Generalitat then took control in 1937. Despite efforts to maintain assistance, the pressures of the conflict and a rise in patient numbers made it impossible to prevent a progressive decline in living conditions within the facility.

1938 proved particularly critical. The worsening war situation directly impacted supplies and healthcare organisation, significantly increasing mortality at the Reus centre, a pattern seen in other psychiatric hospitals across the territory.

Recovering Forgotten Histories

The victims of Pere Mata belong to a group that remained forgotten for decades. Many were buried in mass graves, without public recognition or memory. Today, investigations led by the Generalitat and family associations aim to recover their names and honour their stories.

Ninety years after the start of the Civil War, the Pere Mata case symbolises the need to make these individuals visible. They are not just statistics, but lives cut short by a war that was also fought, with great severity, within the walls of psychiatric institutions.