Sant Martí d'Empúries is an entity of the town of
L'Escala
L'Escala ( Spanish: ''La Escala'') is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Empordà in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Costa Brava, located between the southern end of the Gulf of Roses and Cala (bay) Montgó. It is an impo ...
. It is located next to the ruins 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 ...
or Empòrion. Ancient Greeks established the settlement in the 6th century BC.
It was the county seat until 1079 Empúries moved to
Castelló d'Empúries
Castelló d'Empúries is a town and municipality in the Alt Empordà in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It lies 9 km east of Figueres.
In 1079, Castelló d'Empúries became the capital of the Empúries county due to the previous capital, Sant Mar ...
place less exposed to attack.
Sant Martí d'Empúries is a staging point on the
GR 92
The GR 92 is part of the extensive GR footpath network of paths, tracks and trails in Spain. It will eventually run the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, from Portbou, on the border with France to Tarifa, the most southerly point of Sp ...
long distance footpath, which roughly follows the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Stage 5, to the north, takes a route behind the coast to the ''El Cortalet'' pond in the
Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, a distance of . Stage 6, to the south, follows the coast to
l'Escala
L'Escala ( Spanish: ''La Escala'') is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Empordà in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Costa Brava, located between the southern end of the Gulf of Roses and Cala (bay) Montgó. It is an impo ...
and then takes an inland route across the
Montgri Massif to reach the next staging point of
Torroella de Montgrí
Torroella de Montgrí () is a coastal municipality on the Costa Brava, and small town in Catalonia, Spain. The town lies on the north bank of the Ter river, a few kilometres before it flows into the Mediterranean. The beach resort of L'Estartit als ...
, a distance of .
History
It was an inhabited place since the arrival of Greeks from
Massalia
Massalia (Greek: Μασσαλία; Latin: Massilia; modern Marseille) was an ancient Greek colony founded ca. 600 BC on the Mediterranean coast of present-day France, east of the river Rhône, by Ionian Greek settlers from Phocaea, in Western An ...
, actual Marseille (France) in the 6th century BC. Greeks established a settlement there called it, Kypsela ( el, Κύψελα). At the ancient times there is a possibility that there was a temple of
Artemis
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...
on the island.
[
It was ]Christianized
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
by Saint Feliu, an African martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
who died in 304 in 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 ...
. He was bishop between 516 and 693. Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
mentions Ermenguer
Ermenguer was the first known ruler of the county of Empúries (813-817, attested).
It seems that he was a Goth, a member of the local nobility. He was given the county when the region was stabilised under the Franks, but it was given to Gauce ...
as first Count of Empúries
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
in 812.
References
External links
Sant Martí d'Empúries Parish.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sant Marti d'Empuries
Populated places in Alt Empordà
Greek colonies in Iberia
Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Spain