Foixà
Encyclopedia
Foixà is a village
and municipality
in the comarca (county) of the Baix Empordà
.
. It is divided into two main sections: the village, which surrounds the old 13th century Castle of Foixà atop a hill, and the church, near the parish church, of a less dense population. Despite the title of village, the volume of the population resembles more that of a town than the image we have of a village.
The stream Foixà provides water to the village and empties into the Daró after Fontanilles
, passing Ultramort
and the Daró Mountains. The forests that surround it (about 1000 ha) are inhabited mainly by oaks and pines.
, just on the western edge and bordering the county of Girona
. This fact gave rise to many armed conflicts. Foixà also suffered disputes between the counts of Empúries and Catalan-Aragonese crown during the reigns of James II of Urgell
and Peter IV of Aragon
. Records show that in 1359, Bernat Alemany d'Orriols, cousin to Sibila of Fortia
, came into discord with the count John I of Empúries starting an open war to the point that the count besieged the castle. Peter IV then intervened in favor of his wife's relative and John I was forced to sign a humiliating truce at his castle in Bellcaire.
Legend has it that King John I of Aragon
died suddenly on May 19, 1396 while hunting in the forests of Foixà. On the road leading from the castle to the church is a cross-shaped monument which tells the tale.
Foixà has a small private airfield called Sierras de Foixà.
(as donuts are called in the region) ...
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the comarca (county) of the Baix Empordà
Baix Empordà
Baix Empordà is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, one of the two into which Empordà was divided in the comarcal division of 1936. It is popularly known as L'Empordanet .- Geography :...
.
Geography
The rural village of Foixà stretches from the right bank to the lower basin of the Ter riverTer River
The Ter is a river in Catalonia that rises in Ulldeter at an approximate altitude of 2400 meters, at the foot of a glacial cirque delimited by the nearby peaks of el Bastiments, el Gra de Fajol, or el Pic de la Dona...
. It is divided into two main sections: the village, which surrounds the old 13th century Castle of Foixà atop a hill, and the church, near the parish church, of a less dense population. Despite the title of village, the volume of the population resembles more that of a town than the image we have of a village.
The stream Foixà provides water to the village and empties into the Daró after Fontanilles
Fontanilles
Fontanilles is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
, passing Ultramort
Ultramort
Ultramort is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
and the Daró Mountains. The forests that surround it (about 1000 ha) are inhabited mainly by oaks and pines.
History
The first documentation found dates from 1019, when it belonged to the county of EmpúriesEmpúries
Empúries , formerly known by its Spanish name Ampurias , was a town on the Mediterranean coast of the Catalan comarca of Alt Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. It was founded in 575 BC by Greek colonists from Phocaea with the name of Ἐμπόριον...
, just on the western edge and bordering the county of Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
. This fact gave rise to many armed conflicts. Foixà also suffered disputes between the counts of Empúries and Catalan-Aragonese crown during the reigns of James II of Urgell
James II of Urgell
James II was the Count of Urgell , Viscount of Àger, and lord of Antillón, Alcolea de Cinca, and Fraga...
and Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
. Records show that in 1359, Bernat Alemany d'Orriols, cousin to Sibila of Fortia
Sibila of Fortia
Sibila of Fortià , Queen of Aragon, was daughter of Berenguer de Fortià and his wife, Francesca of Palau. Sibila belonged to the lineage of Fortià, the lower nobility, with possessions in the rural Empordà, in the county of Ampurias. She was Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to Peter IV of...
, came into discord with the count John I of Empúries starting an open war to the point that the count besieged the castle. Peter IV then intervened in favor of his wife's relative and John I was forced to sign a humiliating truce at his castle in Bellcaire.
Legend has it that King John I of Aragon
John I of Aragon
John I , called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance , but the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of...
died suddenly on May 19, 1396 while hunting in the forests of Foixà. On the road leading from the castle to the church is a cross-shaped monument which tells the tale.
Places of interest
- Parish Church of Sant Joan de FoixàSant Joan de Foixàthumb|right|250px|Sant Joan de Foixà.Sant Joan de Foixà is a twelfth century Romanesque church located in the municipality of Foixà, Spain.-History:...
- Castle of Foixà
- Church of San Lorenzo de las Arenas
- Sant Romà de les Arenes
- Sant Sebastià de les Arenes
Economy
Agriculture is mainly rainfed: cereals (26 ha), grain, potatoes and vineyards. The irrigated land occupies only 10 ha of vegetables. Livestock, pigs, sheep rearing and poultry complement the region's economy.Foixà has a small private airfield called Sierras de Foixà.
Cuisine
In 1986 Georgina Regàs published a book entitled La cuina de festa major i altres plats de la Lola de Foixà, amb dibuixos d'Opisso (Festival cuisine and other dishes of the Lola of Foixà, art by Opisso), which details how this coquessa, traveling cook, cooked going from house to house, party to party, preparing meals. In it you'll find stuffed apples, stuffed chicken necks, platillos, goose with turnips, brunyolasBrunyola
Brunyola is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
(as donuts are called in the region) ...