JAVEA CELEBRATES TWO IMPORTANT LANDMARK DATES IN 2012
Sunday 1st January 2012

Jávea is making preparations to celebrate two special anniversaries during 2012: it is 400 years since the town was officially declared a ‘Villa’ which allowed it to develop as a separate municipality independent from Denia; it is also 200 years since French Napoleonic troops sacked the town, destroying the castle of La Fontana as well as important historical documentation relating to the early history of the town.

At the regular plenary session on December 29th, the Javea Town Council agreed to commence the preparation for the celebration in 2012 of two anniversaries of historic nature. In the first place, they will celebrate the 400th anniversary of Javea’s official incorporation as a Town (or Villa), which allowed it to become a differentiated municipality with its very own Town Hall. Philip III was the king who granted this distinction on July 2, 1612. Four hundred years later, the town council believes that it is important to remember "and to commemorate this anniversary with the citizens, to strengthen the pride of belonging and promote our history, which is the key to our cultural heritage and guarantees our identity." In the unanimous agreement reached yesterday in the plenary session, the Department of Culture was commissioned to organize a special programming of events to celebrate this important milestone and hold an extraordinary plenary session on 2 July 2012, which will mark the exact date when Javea received the title of Villa and became an incorporated town 400 years before.

Also approved by unanimous decision was the motion by the Bloc Centristes municipal group to commemorate another episode in local history that occurred 200 years ago during the "French War". The motion refers to the attack to the parish church, convent and private homes on August 28, 1812 by French soldiers, the general looting of the town and the execution of several xabieros, as well as the destruction of the castle of La Fontana, occupied by British troops. The plenum also agreed to prepare a special programming to commemorate the historical event that has passed from generation to generation, almost becoming a legend of sorts after the historical archives were destroyed.

Information Source: Press Release - Xŕbia Ajuntament

INDEPENDENCE DAY

On July 2nd 1612, Felipe III granted Jávea the title of ‘Villa’  - an independent Borough – recognising the importance of a town that had already been in existence in one form or another for more than 300 years but had long been included within the municipality of Denia.

Although there is archaeological evidence of occupation by Visigoths, Iberians, Romans and Muslims, the first recorded mention of "Xŕbea" dates back to 1298 when Jaume II, the King of Aragon and Valencia, determines that lands in the south of his kingdom needed to be strengthened against attacks from the Muslim lands of Granada as he forged an alliance with Ferdinand IV, the King of Castile and León. A few years later, Jaume demanded that the small population should move within the enclosure of Denia castle, already a long-established fortification to the north of Montgó.

In 1304, pirates from North Africa, supported by cavalry forces from Granada, swept through the valley of Jávea and razed much of it to the ground, forcing the Xabieros to flee find refuge in Denia, abandoning the settlement where a simple defensive tower was being constructed. By the end of that year, and with the fortified town of Denia untouched by attacks, Jaume II determined that a similar defensive fortification was required to the south of Montgó and, having already ordered the Xabieros to stop building their tower, he changed his mind and demanded that a tower be built under the threat of removal of the entire population to Denia.

In 1321 the settlement had grown large enough for its inhabitants to seek some sort of independence from Denia and Jaume II bestowed an element of jurisdiction although the village wuld still be dependent on Denia. By the early 16th century, the church-fortress of San Bartolomé was taking shape, a project overseen by renowned Valencian architect Dominic Urteaga, whilst the village was surrounded by a high protective wall over one metre in thickness to protect its inhabitants from the constant threat of attack by Barbary pirates. It had become a fortification in its own right with its own problems and independence from Denia was the next logical step.

In 1612, three years after some 8,000 Moriscos were expelled from Spain, many through the port of Jávea, to face an uncertain future in Muslim North Africa, Felipe III of Castile awarded Jávea the title of "villa" which finally recognised its importance. Disputes over the border between Jávea and Denia continued for another few years - the latter's boundary extended almost to the edge of the walled village -until an agreement saw Jávea take control of the valley of San Bartolomé whilst Jesus Pobre continued to be administered by Denia. (Take a look at a map of the area and you'll see that the municipal boundary runs almost dead straight north-to-south across the valley from the steep slopes of Montgó to the wide river bed of the Gorgos.)

In recognition of the 400th anniversary of the declaration, the council has reached a unanimous agreement to organise special celebrations to commemorate the event, including an extraordinary plenary session on July 2nd 2012.

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

The other significant local historical landmark for 2012 is the 200th anniversary of the sacking of the town by French troops.  On August 28th 1812, Napoleon's troops attacked Jávea during the Peninsular War, a conflict between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula. After capturing Valencia in early January 1812, French forces swept southwards and took control of virtually every town and village on their way to Alicante. After establishing a garrison in Denia, a force of some 200 French troops took control of Jávea on January 20th and, whilst not permanently occupying the village, they took up tenancy in the two small castles of Mezquida and La Fontana in a bid to deter attempts by the British to land a force in the bay of Jávea.

The French had demanded a proportion of income from each municipality to pay for the cost of the war and for a while Jávea had complied, often leaving its own people with very little to survive. However, a band of guerrillas (the term means “little war” in Spanish) under the direction of Xabiero José Catalá had embarked on a campaign against the French, supported by arms and money by the British government. Bouyed by actions of the guerillas as well as the presence of two British frigates which had anchored off the coast during the summer of 1812, Jávea mayor José Soler defied the French. A small force of some 30 troops marched from Denia to find just a handful of British sailors but were forced to retreat by the action of Catalá's guerrillas who managed to wound at least three French soldiers. The following day a much larger force led by General Pierre-Joseph Habert, who had travelled from Gandía to take control of the operation, marched from Denia and scared off both the smaller guerrilla unit as well as the British sailors who used their warships to evacuate many of the nuns from the local convent.

Much of the population had already abandoned the town, fleeing to nearby towns and villages. As French troops closed in, legend says that the town’s defence was left in the hands of a chaplain and a sacristan who climbed to the top of the bell tower of the church of San Bartolomé and threw stones on the French troops. The brave duo were eventually overpowered and hurled from the tower to their death. French troops went on the rampage for four days, taking everything they could carry back to Denia to sell. The troops also destroyed the castle of La Fontana which had been abandoned by the British.

There is a tragic story about four nuns who remained at the convent; three locked themselves in a cell until a French officer could guarantee their safety. However, a fourth, an attractive young woman, was driven to suicide in the face of unwanted attention from another French officer who, determined to have his wicked way with her, chased her until, in a desperate bid to escape, she threw herself down a well and drowned.

Others suffered similar fates. A local blacksmith who had done plenty of business with the French in the past had determined that he would be safe from the rampage but he and his neighbours were stabbed to death in his home. A local women who had been preparing food for the few remaining inhabitants was also slain for refusing the soldier's demands for money; all reports suggest that she put up a good fight, defending herself with an iron hook on the end of a long pole until she slipped and was killed for her defiance.

Javea would eventually be liberated from French control by guerrilla forces in April 1813.

The council has agreed to produce a special programme of events to commemorate this event.