SP. ANDORRA (2020)- Andorran women - Maria LLuïsa de Riba

Maria Lluïsa de Riba Cassany was the last surviving heir of the Rossell dynasty, one of Andorra's five most important families. Also known as “La Señorita”, she died intestate on 24 November 1993, which led to heavy litigation between the numerous contenders for her magnificent legacy, which the courts finally awarded to the State.

Notable among the family's numerous properties and assets is the Casa Rossell, a large manor house built in 1611 and where Maria Lluïsa had lived right up to her final days and which the Andorra government included in 2003 in its Assets of Cultural Interest inventory.

The Rossells, who came from the Ordino parish, were one of the Principality's oldest families and one of the richest and most socially important in Andorra. Their presence there is attested to in documents dating back to the 15th century and their fortune came from agriculture and cattle as well as various iron forges distributed throughout the valleys.

The last surviving member of this dynasty enjoyed collecting every type of object and chattel that the family had accumulated, from jewellery and amulets to dresses and other everyday-use items, enabling us today to discover at first hand many of society's facets during each of the historical eras the family lived in.

The documentary and bibliographical legacy left by the family is also very important, consisting of an archive of over five thousand documents, including census books, administrative documents and notable works such as “Idil.lis i cants mistics” which Jacinto Verdaguer had given the family as a token of gratitude for putting him up in their house during his trip to Andorra.

The stamp depicts a background made up of the Casa Rosell, the headquarters of the Postal Museum where an exhibition has been on for over a year, to introduce one of Andorra's heritage collections. Maria Llüisa de Riba’s entertaining figure appears on the letter R with floral upholstery.