This half hour documentary, which aired on 24th February features the museum of Xàbia, an interview with Director Ximo Bolufer and footage of the underwater excavations carried out in Portitxol bay. It follows a talk given to AMUX by archaeologist Alejandro Peréz on February 9th in which he described the great importance of Portitxol as an ancient and unique anchorage.
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The first law regulating Spanish historical heritage was the Law of Excavations and Antiquities of 1911. There were other subsequent regulations until the drafting and approval of the Spanish Historical Heritage Law of 1985, which is still in force. In 1998 the Generalitat Valenciana approved the Llei del Patrimoni Cultural Valencià, a specific law for the Valencian Comunidad. Both the 1985 law and the Generalitat's regulation specify that all objects "coming from excavations, earthworks or works of any kind, or by chance" that were found on or under the ground or water, and that has any historical heritage value, are of public domain, and will be integrated in the Generalitat's patrimony.
In 1904 a menial labourer working on land in La Lluca belonging to Benissa resident Torres Orduña, hacked into a clay jar, bringing gold and silver jewelry to light. This was quite a sensation and became known at once as the Treasure of Javea. The owner of the land recognized that it was of immense historical value and offered it to the authorities of Valencia for an astronomical price. In Valencia, the pieces were identifed as being Iberian, most probably from the Fourth century BC. However they were not willing to pay such an outrageous price. Orduña then offered it to the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, who also rejected it for the same reason. The French Government, who had already bought the statue of Dama de Elx at an earlier date, was very interested in acquiring this treasure too, and contacted Roque Chabás Lloréns, historian of Denia and archivist of the Cathedral of Valencia. Chabás wanted to keep the treasure in Spain and falsely told them that Madrid had already bought it. After further negotiations, Madrid finally did buy the treasure. And it has been exhibited there ever since. However, one necklace was missing from the collection : Orduña had donated this to the Purisima Chiqueta in Benissa, where it hung first in the Church of San Pere and was then transferred to the new church that we know today. In 1936, it disappeared from here during the Civil War, only to re-emerge in 1940 in Madrid. It had been offered and donated to the Museum to complete the collection. The gold jewellery displayed in the museum of Xàbia is a fine gold-plated copper copy, made by a Sevillian goldsmith F. Marmolejo. It was acquired by the Ayuntamiento of Xàbia in 1984. As you must already know, Xàbia now has two gold treasures to its name. Only last summer ( Aug. 2021 ) the second treasure - one of the largest sets of Roman gold coins found in Europe - was discovered in the Bay of Portitxol. This has good chances of finding its home in the Archaeological Museum of Xàbia……….but that´s a subject for another article, when more details have been released by the research team and the Conselleria……… ! In 1987-88 Xàbia averted a possible ecological disaster in one of the last few virgin coastal strips in its municipality, and with that, steered away from a future of mass tourism ? Xàbia today would not be the town we know, had the massive project of the International Boy Scouts been realised. This foresaw a World Center in the Portitxol area of Els Pallers, between Cap Prim and La Barraca. There they wanted to make a port for water sport activities and housing for at least 3000 scouts (there was even talk of increasing it to 10.000 !), with hotels for parents and staff accommodation in the vicinity.
The Central Government, the Generalitat Valenciana, the Conselleria de Obras Publicas y Urbanismo and even Javea´s ruling party at the time (PSOE), were pushing for the realisation of this project. Their arguments : it would bring not only Javea, but also Spain onto the international tourist map, promoting Xàbia (read Spain) especially to the American tourists, which in turn would bring profits to Xàbia & its businesses, and create jobs. However this did not appeal to the majority of the people of Xàbia, who were aware of the contradictions of the authorities : on the one hand, they had already been trying to limit urban growth and protect the coast (PGOU, General Town Plan), saying there was not enough water for the expansion of Xàbia, yet on the other hand they promote a huge project such as this World Center ! Six months earlier, the town of Peñiscola had rejected it, after studies had been done on the environmental effects of such a project on the coast. And now Xàbia was willing to accept it without any studies being done on the effects on marine life. Not only that, the Bronze Age archeological remains of Cap Prim and perhaps those of the island of Portitxol could be adversely affected by this new project. The PSOE (under mayor Enric Bas) found itself in opposition to the UPV Party (Unitat del Poble Valencià, led by Josep Sapena), various ecologists of the Marina Alta ( eg. Ecopacifistas and the Association for the Protection of Natural Patrimony), the AP (Alianza Popular, led by Eduard Monfort); and also the owner of the Portitxol island and that part of the mainland in question, Señor Guillermo Pons, who refused to sell the land for this project. Constructors and small businesses were also against the project. A petition signed by 2.600 Xàbeenses was handed in to the Ayuntamiento. During the final plenary sitting in January 1988, the decision was to reject the project, to the great relief of the population of Xàbia ! How admirable it is that the small town of Xàbia stood up to the pressure coming from the top to protect its beautiful natural environment ! Today Cap Prim and La Barraca are popular areas for walkers and nature lovers. Thank you, people of Javea ! The almond trees, which we are so familiar with in our region, were first brought here in approximately 800 BC. Originally from Central and Western Asia, it was the Phoenicians and later the Greeks who brought them to the Iberian peninsula. However it was only from the Arab period onwards (8th century ) that almond trees were properly cultivated. The Arabs brought with them their tradition of confectioneries made from almonds and honey or sugar, which later became the basis for several different sweetmeats such as turon, pastissets and almendrados. Being robust and hardy, the almond tree was well suited to the poor soil of large parts of the coastal region. In fact the Comunitat Valenciana is the third largest almond-producing region in Spain - and Spain is the world´s second largest producer after the USA. Traditionally most families in Xàbia had at least one small almond plantation for their own consumption, with the surplus being sold. The fruit was harvested in mid August and already everyone looked forward to Christmas time, when almonds were ground and made into delicious sweet treats. Here are a few traditional recipes that I got from the charming mother of a friend in Xàbia : -Pastissets de almendra al viento : (these are not baked but air-dried) 2 eggs, 1/2 kg ground almonds,1/2 kg sugar. Mix ingredients and knead. Roll into balls and flatten them. Fill with sweetpotato jam and close to form the typical half-moon shape. Place on a tray and leave to dry in cool dry place for approximately 2 weeks. -Pastissets de almendra (baked) : 2 eggs, 1/2 kg ground almonds, 250g sugar. Mix ingredients and continue as in the above recipe. Put the tray of half-moon shapes into low heat oven to bake slowly for approximately 30 minutes. -Pelota dulce : 1/2 kg ground almonds, 50g lard or more if desired, sugar to taste, a little sweet potato jam, cinnamon, lemon zest, pine kernels, a little bread crumbs, 1 egg. Mix all ingredients and form into one oval mass to be put into the Christmas puchero in its last cooking phase. -Casca : this is a Valencian speciality which is baked for the Epiphany or 3 Kings Day on 6th Jan. The Casca has the same ingredients as the baked almond pastissets, but has the form of a ring and is covered with sugar before baking. After baking the sugar makes a delicious crunchy coating. For those who have no time or inclination for baking, this speciality can be bought in one of Javea´s favorite bakeries : Diego´s. Unfortunately, there is some bad news for the almond tree. In 2016 the highly infectious pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which is spread by insect vectors, started killing hundreds of almond trees in Mallorca. The disease is now on the mainland and since 2017 has been found in various places in the Comunitat Valenciana, with Javea being partially affected. Although so far there is no antidote, the authorities and scientists are working hard to find solutions as soon as possible. Christmas just wouldn´t be the same without pastissets ! AMUX wishes everyone a happy and delicious festive season !
31 members of AMUX and five of their friends visited Alicante on Sunday 14th November to take a guided tour of the special international exhibition “Etruscans – the dawn of Rome” at the MARQ museum. The tour, which was conducted in Castellano and English, was fascinating, although it was a bit rushed. Perhaps this was due to the Covid restrictions and the large number of visitors there who were keen to see the beautiful artefacts created by this mysterious and sophisticated Italian civilisation which thrived around the same time as the Iberians. Most of the exhibits had been provided by renowned Italian museums, but among them was a piece from our very own Soler Blasco Museu de Xàbia! This was an infundibulum found on the seafloor near Cap Prim.
Afterwards we went to visit the important archaeological site of the Iberio/Roman town of Lucentum situated on the Tossal de Manises. We were astonished to see this 5ha site hidden among the tower blocks of the city. Although we did not have a guided tour, there are many informative signs describing the streets, houses, towers, Roman baths and forum of this, the old Alicante. We then went to eat at “Il Fornello” restaurant. We had an adventure on the way. Our bus got stuck in a narrow street due to a badly parked car causing quite a traffic jam much to everyone’s amusement. Finally our driver squeezed through with much applause and AMUX enjoyed a delayed but magnificent meal beside the beautiful Playa de San Juan. See the slideshow below. Click on the right of the window to play each slide. ... A part from the Cultural Department of Xàbia and the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum, there is a third entity dedicated to the promotion of Xabia´s cultural heritage and the preservation of its patrimony ? This is the private Foundation of CIRNE, which was created in the early 2000s and is supervised by the culture-loving and generous Benimeli family, who are also its main donors. The foundation was initiated by Enric Martinez, who had married into the Benimeli family. He remains the driving force behind it. ( By the way, if you are wondering where the name CIRNE came from, it is Enric read backwards ! )
All in all, there are nine patrons of the CIRNE. Their aim is not only to preserve the heritage of Xabia´s past, but also to promote cultural, humanistic, scientific and environmental values. Hence they organise lectures, exhibitions and concerts of all kinds and regularly issue publications. They grant scholarships and provide funds for research and excavations. Furthermore, they have a library and an archive open to the public. Most notably this contains the historical documents of Antoni Llidó, a Xàbia-born priest who fought against social injustice and who met a tragic end in Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship. The historical documents of Soler Blasco, mayor and founder of the Museum, can also be found here. In fact, CIRNE´s next publication which is planned for the coming year, is a history of Xàbia´s Museum which was prepared by Soler Blasco himself but which he had never got round to publishing. The Foundation´s headquarters and exhibition center is in 18, Avenida d´Alacant, property of the Benimeli family. This house is one in a row of beautiful patriarchal houses from the 19th century, which, incidentally, had been destined to be replaced by apartment blocks, but due to the joint efforts of this family, the Museum and the Ayuntamiento, they have been catalogued and put under protection. Xabia: Facts and anecdotes - Did you know … that for a short space of time Jávea had an airfield?7/10/2021 Of course, this was not for commercial purposes nor was it for use by hobby pilots. Rather, it was for war planes!
In 1936 the democratically elected leftist Popular Front came into government, but later that same year a coup d´état against the Republic was led by fascist Franco and the Army. This was the start of the violent Civil War of 1936-1939. Jávea remained loyal to the Republicans and in 1937, to protect this part of the coast from the fascists, an airfield with 2 landing strips was prepared on farmland in the Pla area behind the Arenal. At the same time several bunkers and air raid shelters were built in the municipality for the protection of the civilians. Also, an anti-aircraft gun emplacement was built off the Cami Cabanes equipped with machine guns that could rotate 360° to defend the airfield and bunkers against enemy aviation attacks. However, the airstrip was little used. On 23rd July 1938 three Savoia S79 planes of the fascist Italian Air Force, who were based in Palma de Mallorca, led a bombing raid on the Jávea airfield. In addition to aiding General Franco, they used such exercises to perfect their methods of terror bombing. However in this case their 36 bombs mostly missed their target and fell on the Arenal and the Pla. Fortunately only two people were hurt and the only mortality was a donkey. Eight months later, on 1st April 1939, Franco declared the end of the war, beginning 36 years of dictatorship and a period of extreme hardship for the population. The airfield remained on standby - as such - till the end of 1939 and then the land was returned to its former owners who used it once again for planting vines. Today only a few traces of the buildings which supported the airfield remain and these have been much altered as to be unrecognisable. The landing strips have now disappeared under orange groves, houses and ironically, a go-kart track. Two amateur divers swimming along the Spanish coast have discovered a huge hoard of 1,500-year-old gold coins, one of the largest on record dating to the Roman Empire.
The divers, brothers-in-law Luis Lens Pardo and César Gimeno Alcalá, discovered the gold stash while vacationing with their families in Xàbia, a coastal Mediterranean town and tourist hotspot. The duo rented snorkeling equipment so they could go freediving with the goal of picking up trash to beautify the area, but they found something far richer when Lens Pardo noticed the glimmer of a coin at the bottom of Portitxol Bay on Aug. 23, El País reported. When he went to investigate, he found that the coin "was in a small hole, like a bottleneck," Lens Pardo told El País in Spanish. After cleaning the coin, Lens Pardo saw that it had "an ancient image, like a Greek or Roman face." Intrigued, Lens Pardo and Gimeno Alcalá returned, freediving to the hole with a Swiss Army knife and using its corkscrew to unearth a total of eight coins. For full story see: www.livescience.com/divers-find-roman-empire-coin-hoard-spain The find was later excavated by official teams of divers and the 53 gold coins they found will eventually be on display at the Soler Blasco Museum These were niches in a house façade with a religious figure in form of a statuette, painting or ceramics. These symbolic representations, usually of a saint or a Virgin Mary, served as transcendental intermediaries to God and were invoked especially in moments of need or crisis and for protection against sickness and agricultural disaster. There was usually one in a street which would serve the needs of all the neighbours, so that when someone was ill, the figure would be taken to the bedside of the infirm for quicker recovery. It would also be taken to the funeral service when there was a death. Thus most of the representations were originally statuettes which could be removed easily. This custom, however, has long been abandoned.
Although there have probably been devotional "niches" in Javea since the 16th-18th centuries, it seems that all but one were destroyed by anti-clerical elements during the Civil War ( 1936-1939 ). Those we see today are from the 1940s and later…. For several years Sorolla, his family and a few servants would come from Madrid to spend long summer holidays in Javea. In 1905 pretty 23 year-old Ramona had been working for Sorolla for a year and was undeniably his favorite. So of course, she was one of the party.
One day, Ramona and Asunción, another servant, went to a nearby waterwheel to wash clothes for the family when suddenly they were approached by a tall, well-built young man who started to talk with Ramona, then quarrel with her, while she continued to do the washing. He followed them back to the house once they were done washing, carrying on the dispute. Suddenly he pulled out a Smith revolver and shot at her. Shocked, Ramona dropped the linen and was just about to run away when he fired again, hitting her directly in the stomach and knocking her to the ground. Stunned by his own deed, the man put the gun to his temple and shot himself. Hearing the shots, Sorolla and the family ran out to find a man lying dead, Ramona wounded on the ground and a panicking Asunción. They called for a doctor immediately but Ramona died before she could be taken to hospital. Nevertheless she did have the time to tell them what it was all about : before leaving Madrid, she said, she had broken off her relationship with Bartolomé, a Guardia Civil officer. Heartbroken and angry, he had taken 2 weeks off from work to follow her down to Javea to try to make her change her mind. This was a crime of jealousy and passion. Today we would call it gender violence. Sorolla was completely devastated by what had happened and retired to his room. He was so withdrawn and silent over the next few days that the family decided to close the house and return to Madrid, never to return to Javea again ! |
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