Foixà is a village and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the comarca (county) of the

Baix Empordà Baix Empordà in Catalan (; en, Lower Empordà, italic=yes) or Bajo Ampurdán in Spanish () is a ''comarca'' (county) in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is one of the two ''comarca'' into which Empordà was divided in the comarcal d ...

Geography

The rural village of Foixà stretches from the right bank to the lower basin of the

Ter (river) The Ter is a river in Catalonia, Spain, that rises at an approximate elevation of near the Ulldeter refuge 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 runs through ...

. It is divided into two main sections: la Vila (the village), which surrounds the old 13th century Castle of Foixà atop a hill, and L'Església (the church), near the parish church, of a less dense population. The stream Foixà provides water to the village and empties into the Daró after

Fontanilles Fontanilles is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. The municipality covers an area of and the population in 2014 was 160. The GR 92 long distance footpath, which roughly follows the length of the Medi ...

, passing

Ultramort Ultramort is a village in the Provinces of Spain, province of Province of Girona, Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. Ultramort was first documented in 1046 with the name Ultramorte. From then on, mentions of the place become more ...

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

Empúries Empúries ( ca, Empúries ) was an ancient city on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia, Spain. Empúries is also known by its Spanish name, Ampurias ( es, Ampurias ). The city Ἐμπόριον ( el, Ἐμπόριον, Emporion, meaning "tradi ...

, just on the western edge and bordering the county of

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...

. This fact gave rise to many armed conflicts. Foixà also suffered disputes between the counts of Empúries and the kings during the reigns of

James II of Urgell James II (in Catalan ''Jaume II d'Urgell'' or ''Jaume el Dissortat'' "James the unlucky", in Spanish ''Jayme II el desafortunado'') (1380 – 1 June 1433) was the Count of Urgell (1408–1413), Viscount of Àger, and lord of Antillón, Alcolea de ...

and

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV, ; an, Pero, ; es, Pedro, . In Catalan, he may also be nicknamed ''el del punyalet'': "he of the little dagger". (Catalan: ''Pere IV''; 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''el Cerimoniós''), w ...

. Records show that in 1359, Bernat Alemany d'Orriols, cousin to queen

Sibila of Fortia Sibila is a village and rural commune in the Cercle of Ségou in the Ségou Region of southern-central Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Ma ...

, 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 (27 December 1350 – 19 May 1396), called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance, but the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of Aragon from 1387 until his death. Biography John was the eldest son of Peter IV and his third ...

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 Foixà * Castle of Foixà * Church of Sant Llorenç de les Arenes * 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.

Festivals and traditions

Local holidays: January 17 and August 29.

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,

brunyola Brunyola is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its ...

s (as donuts are called in the region) ...

References

External links

Website of the City Council

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foixa Municipalities in Baix Empordà Populated places in Baix Empordà