Foixà () is a village and

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

in the comarca (county) of the

Baix Empordà Baix Empordà (; ; "Lower Empordà") is a comarca (county) in the Girona region, Catalonia, in Spain. It is one of the two comarques into which Empordà was divided in the comarcal division of 1936, the other one being Alt Empordà. It is popula ...

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. It rises in the Ulldeter, a glacial cirque in the East Pyrenees, at an approximate elevation of . At heights of around , the nearby peaks bordering the Ulldeter—the Bastiments, the Gra de Fajol, and ...

. 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 M ...

, passing

Ultramort Ultramort () is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catal ...

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 ( ) was an ancient Greek city on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia, Spain. The city Ἐμπόριον (, Emporion, meaning "trading place", ''cf.'' emporion) was founded in 575 BC by Greeks from Phocaea. After the invasion o ...

, just on the western edge and bordering the county of

Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...

. 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 ''Jaime II el desafortunado'') (1380 – 1 June 1433) was the Count of Urgell (1408–1413), Viscount of Àger, and lord of Antillón, Alcole ...

and

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV (Catalan: ''Pere IV d'Aragó;'' Aragonese; ''Pero IV d'Aragón;'' 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''El Cerimoniós''; Aragonese: ''el Ceremonioso''), was from 1336 until his death the king of ...

. Records show that in 1359, Bernat Alemany d'Orriols, cousin to queen Sibila of Fortia, came into discord with the count

John I of Empúries John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

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, or 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 Ricard Opisso (1880–1966) was a Catalan cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and painter. Biography Son of Alfred Opisso i Viñas, journalist, historian and critic, and of Antonia Sala i Gil, his sister Regina Opisso, was also a writer. H ...

)'', 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 is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalo ...

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