Sant Feliu de Guíxols
Encyclopedia
Sant Feliu de Guíxols (ˈsam fəˈɫiw ðə ˈɣiʃuɫs) is a municipality
in the comarca
of the Baix Empordà
in
Catalonia
, Spain
. It is situated on the Costa Brava
and is an important port and tourist centre. The district abuts to the north, the upmarket s'Agaró
resort built round the Sant Pol Beach. In addition to tourism and the port the cork
industry is a traditionally local industry. The town contains a large monastery
which now houses the town museum and is a protected historico-artistic monument. The C-253 road runs north along the coast to Platja d'Aro and Palamós
, while the C-65 road runs inland from the town. The GI-682 provides a dramatic cliff top drive to Tossa de Mar
to the south.
trees.
, who came from Africa. Guíxols is a word derived from the former word Iecsalis, of a document the 10th century that mentions to the monastery and that seems to mean "Rope-maker"
On the basis of available records, the foundation of the Benedictine monastery can be traced back to the first half of the 10th century. The bay of Guixols was chosen due to its good natural harbour and the proximity to the coast of the nearby range of hills, which would make it easier to flee and would give a certain degree of protection in cases of attack from the sea. The decision was no doubt also influenced by the martyrdom of Saint Felix of Africa and the opportunity to take advantage of existing buildings dating from the Roman period.
Monastery and Stronghold
The monastery's role was to control the agricultural exploitation and production of the surrounding region, and also to provied protection to its inhabitants in return. It was thus a fortified coastal monastery excersing its feudal dominion over the territory.
At its foundation, the monastery was dedicated to Saint Felix and the name of Sant Feliu (in its Catalan form) was thereafter for ever associated with that of Guíxols, thus giving the present-day name of the town (used from the 10th century onwards).
The Original Nucleus of the Town
A township started to grow up on the basis of the various activities surrounding the monastery. The settlement grew, and soon dwellings started to spring up on the other side of the watercourse, which would become the nucleus of the medieval town, centered on the market.
The Porta Ferrada International Festival, instituted in 1958, is celebrated in the town's monastery, and has become internationally popular with time. It involves theatre, music, and dance, and is usually celebrated in the summer.
The Festa Major is a traditional, Catalan festival, celebrated on August 1. It is dedicated to the town's patron saint, St. Feliu.
, Austria
Bourg-de-Péage
, France
Mindelheim
, Germany
, since 1994 Verbania
, Italy
, since 1994
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
Comarques of Catalonia
This is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
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 :...
in
Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is situated on the Costa Brava
Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva, in the province of Girona. Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', and Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'...
and is an important port and tourist centre. The district abuts to the north, the upmarket s'Agaró
S'Agaró
S'Agaró is an upmarket resort on the Costa Brava between Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Castell-Platja d'Aro in Spain.In the early 1920s Josep Ensesa Gubert, the son of a successful Girona industrialist, persuaded his father to buy the land between the bay at Sant Pol and the long beach at Sa Conca...
resort built round the Sant Pol Beach. In addition to tourism and the port the cork
Cork (material)
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
industry is a traditionally local industry. The town contains a large monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
which now houses the town museum and is a protected historico-artistic monument. The C-253 road runs north along the coast to Platja d'Aro and Palamós
Palamós
Palamós is a town and municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located in the comarca of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain....
, while the C-65 road runs inland from the town. The GI-682 provides a dramatic cliff top drive to Tossa de Mar
Tossa de Mar
Tossa de Mar is a municipality in Catalonia, Spain, located on the Costa Brava, about 103 kilometres north of Barcelona and 100 kilometres south of the French border...
to the south.
Geography and climate
Located on the Mediterranean, Sant Feliu de Guíxols has idylic weather almost all year long. The coastline of Sant Feliu de Guíxols spreads over ten kilometers. It also includes many little bays with coves surrounded by pines with rocky or fine sand beaches. The beaches are cleaned daily and a modern water treatment system prevents wastewater from entering the sea. The town is engulfed by small mountains, with forests of pine, oak, and corkCork Oak
Quercus suber, commonly called the Cork Oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.It grows to up to 20 m,...
trees.
Etymology
The name Sant Feliu goes back to the martyred saint, FeliuFelix of Girona
Saint Feliu of Girona is a Catalan saint. He was martyred at Girona after traveling from Carthage with Saint Cucuphas to Spain as a missionary....
, who came from Africa. Guíxols is a word derived from the former word Iecsalis, of a document the 10th century that mentions to the monastery and that seems to mean "Rope-maker"
History
The Foundation of the MonasteryOn the basis of available records, the foundation of the Benedictine monastery can be traced back to the first half of the 10th century. The bay of Guixols was chosen due to its good natural harbour and the proximity to the coast of the nearby range of hills, which would make it easier to flee and would give a certain degree of protection in cases of attack from the sea. The decision was no doubt also influenced by the martyrdom of Saint Felix of Africa and the opportunity to take advantage of existing buildings dating from the Roman period.
Monastery and Stronghold
The monastery's role was to control the agricultural exploitation and production of the surrounding region, and also to provied protection to its inhabitants in return. It was thus a fortified coastal monastery excersing its feudal dominion over the territory.
At its foundation, the monastery was dedicated to Saint Felix and the name of Sant Feliu (in its Catalan form) was thereafter for ever associated with that of Guíxols, thus giving the present-day name of the town (used from the 10th century onwards).
The Original Nucleus of the Town
A township started to grow up on the basis of the various activities surrounding the monastery. The settlement grew, and soon dwellings started to spring up on the other side of the watercourse, which would become the nucleus of the medieval town, centered on the market.
Monuments
- Sant Feliu de Guíxols Monastery, built by the Benedictine order and first referenced around the year 961. Since then it has been remodeled several times. The building now houses a history museum. The monastery includes the Porta Ferrada, the symbol of the town and the towers of the Corn and Fum. It is an excellent example of the town's medieval architectureMedieval architectureMedieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture common in Medieval Europe.-Characteristics:-Religious architecture:...
. - Plaça del Mercat. The market place serves as the heart of public and economic life in the town. A fruit and vegetable market takes place every morning on the “Plaça”. On Sundays, the weekly market takes place along the Passeig and on the Plaça, a popular meeting place for residents.
- Passeig dels Guíxols. The boulevard of Sant Feliu de Guíxols is unique, and is a wide sandy walkway lined with trees; ideal for a relaxing stroll.
- Passeig del Mar. Opened in 1833, the seafront promenade was built the medieval town and the sea. Little by little, the humble homes of fishermen from the medieval era were replaced by stately homes. Today, the area's architecture is mostly modern; because of real estate, many of the mansions are gone and condominiums have replaced them. Nonetheless, it makes for a lovely walk along the town's beach.
- Casino la Constància, constructed in 1888 by the architect General Guitart. It is also known as casino dels nois.
- Pedralta, the largest rocking stoneRocking stoneRocking stones are large stones that are so finely balanced that the application of just a small force causes them to rock. They are found throughout the world. Some are man-made megaliths, but others are natural, often left by glaciers.Logan or rocking stones are known in Scotland sometimes as...
in Europe. - Old railway station, designed by architects Rafael Coderch and Gabriel March and built between 1889 and 1892, which served the line from Sant Feliu de Guíxols to GironaGironaGirona 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...
. It was used until 1969, and now serves as a public school. It is seen as a reminder of the town's progressive era. - Historic residences. From the mid- to late-19th century, Catalonia began to prosper economically and developed a bourgeoisieBourgeoisieIn sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
class. Sant Feliu de Guíxols has many examples of the elegant, bourgeoisie homes of this time period. Some examples are the casa Gaziel (1880), the casa Pecher (1894), the casa Maynegre (1898), the casa Girbau (1910), the casa Maruny (1909), the casa Ribot (1904), the casa de la Campana (1911), and the casa Patxot (1917- - The town hall, somewhat Gothic in style, yet simple, was originally built in 1547. It has survived battles and real estate. However, today it has a tower added on from 1847.
- Hermitage of Sant Elm. This small hermitage was founded originally in 1203. The original chapel was built in 1452, and dedicated to Saint Elm; however, it was destroyed by the FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1696. It was rebuilt in 1723, only to be damaged in 1943, during the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
; the present chapel was restored in 1993. It sits peacefully on a cliff above the sea.
Events
Sant Feliu de Guíxols is located in an area known for its parties, festivals and especially its carnivals. It has one of the best carnivals in the Costa Brava, as do the towns Platja d'Aro and Palamós.The Porta Ferrada International Festival, instituted in 1958, is celebrated in the town's monastery, and has become internationally popular with time. It involves theatre, music, and dance, and is usually celebrated in the summer.
The Festa Major is a traditional, Catalan festival, celebrated on August 1. It is dedicated to the town's patron saint, St. Feliu.
Twin cities
Sant Feliu de Guíxols is twinned with: SchwazSchwaz
Schwaz is a city in Tyrol, Austria. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district . Schwaz is located in the lower Inn valley, and has a population of about 13,000....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
Bourg-de-Péage
Bourg-de-Péage
Bourg-de-Péage is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-International relations:Bourg-de-Péage is twinned with: Schwaz, Austria Mindelheim, Germany Verbania, Italy Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain East Grinstead, United Kingdom-References:*...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Mindelheim
Mindelheim
Mindelheim is a town in the German Bundesland of Bavaria. The town is the capital of the Unterallgäu district. At various points in history it was the chief settlement of an eponymous state.- Geography :...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 1994 Verbania
Verbania
Verbania is a city and comune on the shore of Lake Maggiore, Piedmont, in northwest Italy, about north-west of Milan and about from Locarno in Switzerland.-Overview:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, since 1994