Parcent (; ) is a

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 Pop Valley of La Marina Alta in the

Alicante Province Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community (Alica ...

, which is located in the

Valencian Valencian () or Valencian language () is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially in the Carche, El Carche comarca in Región de Murcia, Murcia (Spain), to refer to the Romance lan ...

region of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Parcent has a population of about 1100 and is about one hour's drive north of the city of

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

, and about an hour's drive south of the city of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

. It features the small Holy Virgin church, and is surrounded by hills and mountains. Writer

Gabriel Miró Gabriel Miró Ferrer (; Alicante, 28 July 1879 – Madrid, 24 May 1930), known as Gabriel Miró, was a Spanish modernist writer. In 1900 he finished his studies in law at the University of Granada and the University of Valencia. He focused mainly ...

(1879-1930) was a resident of Parcent and called it a "paradise between the mountains". It is also close to

Jalón Xaló (; es, Jalón ), is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain. Geography The town of Jalón is located in the Jalón Valley. The Jalón or Gorgos river crosses the town, which has a length of . ...

(written as Xaló in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

), which is known for its wine production and markets. The traditional economy of Parcent relies on

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...

and orange farming in the surrounding area.

History

The name "Parcent" is of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

origin. Later, it was a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

town until the forces of

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

conquered it in 1256 CE. There was a major outbreak of

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

in Parcent in 1850 and by 1887 20% of the residents of Parcent were afflicted. This apparently motivated the inclusion of passages about the disease in Miró's two so-called "Oleza" novels.

Demographics

The 2006 census established that Parcent's population was 1,019 inhabitants. It was also revealed that about 35.10% of the population of Parcent were not

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

citizens but were in fact incomers from other countries within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

Controversy

Many Europeans from other areas have built retirement or second homes in Parcent, mainly due to the sunshine and proximity to the beaches. However, Parcent and the surrounding valley are suffering growing pains as development quickens.''In Spain, a Tide Of Development: Land Laws on the Mediterranean Coast Enable a Boom but Bring Corruption''
John Ward Anderson, Washington Post Foreign Service, Wednesday, October 25, 2006 Mani per la defensa del territori 02

References

Municipalities in the Province of Alicante {{Valencia-geo-stub