The industrial town of Tarrasa lies in the fertile Vallés district on the right bank of the Río Palau. Its principal industry is textiles, in particular the production and processing of silk. Until its conquest by the Moors the town, then known as Egara, was the seat of a Visigothic bishopric founded in 450, and it has preserved three early Christian churches, all lying to the southeast of the present-day railroad station.
The church of San Miguel, originally built in the sixth century as a baptismal chapel, shows Byzantine and Visigothic influences. Its most notable features are the octagonal baptistery, surrounded by columns, and the seventh century painting in the crypt.
The church of Santa María was a Visigothic basilica which was enlarged in the 12th century in Catalan Romanesque style. In front of the church are remains of a fourth century mosaic. The church itself has very interesting wall paintings depicting the story of St Thomas Becket, the murdered archbishop of Canterbury. The magnificent Gothic retablos were the work of Jaume Huguet, Lluis Borrassà, Jaume Cirera and Guillerm Talarn.
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