Llutxent () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in the eastern part 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 ...

, in the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wi ...

, within the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

of the Vall d'Albaida, 80 km south of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

and 110 km north 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 ...

. As of 2016, it is inhabited by 2,402 people. The town's economy is based on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...

transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...

and the manufacture of pallets, and a small

services sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

. The town was first settled by

Ancient Romans In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 ...

. Llutxent is host to one of the most popular Moors and Christians celebrations during the end of April, attracting many people around the

to see the

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

Name

The town derives its name from the

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 ...

etymon ''Luciana villa'' or ''pagu Lucianu'', meaning "Light

Villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

" or "

Pagus In ancient Rome, the Latin word (plural ) was an administrative term designating a rural subdivision of a tribal territory, which included individual farms, villages (), and strongholds () serving as refuges, as well as an early medieval geogra ...

of Light". Some other sources suggest that the town may have been named after the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

''Lucius'' with the ending ''in''. The town was also known as ''Luxen'', ''Luchent'', and ''Llutchen'' in the past. ''Llutxent'' is commonly abbreviated to ''Llutx''.

History

Roman period

The origin of the earliest settlement at the site of present-day Llutxent was by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, in the form of

Roman Villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Typology and distribution Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...

. The town's name comes from this early settlement. However, no

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

of Roman Origin have been found.

Muslim rule (711–1492)

Little is known about the Islamic Period in Llutxent. The town's area was made up of a large number of farmsteads (with names such as ''Benicia, Benitxellví, Xetà, Rafal, Osset, Cometa'' which are still used to indicate the areas where those farmsteads used to be) that depended upon the Castle of Xiu.

Christian reconquest (1229–1245)

The first written references about the town are about the reconquest of the municipality's area by

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 12 ...

and the arrival of Catalan-Aragonese troops to the
beyond the Xúquer
lands. These describe the "Great Islamic revolt of 1247–1248, after which James I of Aragon in 1248, besieged and conquered the castle of the Xiu. Subsequently,

gave the town to the conquering troops and established a permanent Christian population in Llutxent, while the farms located around the town's area kept their native Islamic population. In 1276, the town is razed during Al-Azraq's revolt. Jaume I, in response to the town's razing, sent Christian troops which successfully re-conquered the town. Next year, the town's control and territory was given to the Italian noble "Joan de Proxita", who created the Barony of Llutxent.

Christian Rule

Between 1348 and 1349 Llutxent was scene to various skirmishes during the War of the Union of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

. ''The Proxitas'', as lords of Llutxent, began the construction of the Palace Castle. In 1487, the town's lordship was handed over to the family of the ''Maçà''.

Modern History

Main sights

Castles and palaces * Castle of Xiu. Muslim. Abandoned after the

Expulsion of the Moriscos The Expulsion of the Moriscos ( es, Expulsión de los moriscos) was decreed by King Philip III of Spain on April 9, 1609. The Moriscos were descendants of Spain's Muslim population who had been forced to convert to Christianity. Since the Span ...

, the building is still an important landmark for the town and its surrounding area. In dire need of

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...

. * Castle-palace of Llutxent. Constructed between the 15th and 16th centuries by the Proxitas. The building is currently owned by the municipality. Religious buildings * Church of the Assumption, built in the 19th century on top of an old Gothic Church in ruins. The building follows the Classical Architecture Style, and it is home to important pieces of art and culture of great historic value, such as the Santa Faç icon-chest. * Monastery of the Corpus Christi (The convent), erected by the Dominicans, it was the first Valencian University (General Study in Arts and Theology). The building has undergone several renovations, modifications and extensions, with the most important one being the addition of the Corpus Christi in the 17th century, a church built in the Gothic style. A 200-year old Carob Tree can be found next to the Monastery. * Chapel of the Consolation, founded by Catalan pilgrims in 1772, the building follows the Barroque Architecture Style. A stained glass windows were added to the chapel in the 1970s by Alfred Manessier. Other sights * The Coast, Stone-paved road built in 1580 that connected Monastery of the Corpus Christi with the town's church and was used for religious pilgrimage between the two. * Farmer's park, near which various Llutxentine organizations are located.

Government, politics and corruption

Local Government

Llutxent's Municipal Council ('' Ajuntament in Catalan or Ayuntamiento in Spanish''), is elected by universal suffrage according to proportional representation, in

municipal elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

held every 4 years, and it cannot be dissolved. Logo Ajuntament de Llutxent

The law requires the Municipal Council to meet in full session at least every three months and extraordinary sessions can be called by either the mayor or by at least 1/4 of the Council Membership. The Municipal Council does not formulate major laws, but drafts regulations related to legislation from the

Cortes Generales The Cortes Generales (; en, Spanish Parliament, lit=General Courts) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house), and the Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meet ...

(''The Legislative Body of Spain'') or the

Generalitat Valenciana The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self-government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organized. It consists of seven institutions including the ''Corts Val ...

(''Regional Government''). It oversees the budget, and it may raise

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

es to supplement grants from the Central and the

Regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Governments. It is made up of 11 council members, who elect the Mayor of the Town ('' Alcalde, in Catalan and Spanish''). If no head of the list of each party gets a majority of votes, the head of the list of the most voted party becomes Mayor. The Municipal Council retains the right to a

Motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or m ...

to remove the Mayor and to install a new one. The Mayor, in most instances, serves as the leader of the majority party in the council. In addition to being chairman of the Municipal Council, directing municipal administration, heading the municipal police force, and exercising extensive powers of appointment, the mayor plays a major public relations role and enjoys a great deal of prestige. The Mayor also organizes and elects the Local Government Team, composed of Municipal Council members usually of his or her political party, who assist him or her in his or her duties. Llutxent's Local Government is currently subdivided into 4 Departments: * Mayorship, headed by the Mayor. * Department of the Interior. * Department of Health. * Department of Tourism. The municipal budget for fiscal year 2018 was of €3,092,766.42 ($3,465,753.58).

Infrastructure

Main sights

Monastery of the Corpus Christi (Llutxent) The Monastery of the Corpus Christi is located in the municipality of Luchente, Llutxent (province of Valencia, Valencia), Spain. The convent building has its origins in an hermitage of the 13th century and was renovated in the 18th century. This ...

References

{{authority control Municipalities in the Province of Valencia Vall d'Albaida

Name

History

Roman period

Muslim rule (711–1492)

Christian reconquest (1229–1245)

Christian Rule

Modern History

Main sights

Government, politics and corruption

Local Government

Infrastructure

Main sights

See also

References