Discover Fortià: Church, History and Trails

Culture and History

Fortià lies in the alluvial plain of Alt Empordà between the Muga and Fluvià rivers. Fortià is home to the preserved Sant Julià de Fortià Church. It is a Late Gothic building with a single-nave layout, side chapels and a polygonal apse. The church appears to have been fortified. The side walls of the nave rise above the roofline. The apse also extends above the roofline. These structural elements contain small brick loopholes. Sant Julià thus combines the features of a Late Gothic religious building with structural elements that extend above the roofline and contain small brick openings. The single-nave layout, side chapels and polygonal apse are just as much part of the preserved church building as the fortification features described.

La Casa Gran was built by the knight and merchant Pere Ignasi Ferrer and completed in 1628. The building is classified as a “Bé Cultural d’Interès Nacional”. Its construction history therefore identifies both the builder and the year of completion. Since the Middle Ages, Casa del Delme in Fortià had been the storehouse or shop of the Pabordia of Sant Pere de Roda. The year 1767 is inscribed on the lintel of Casa del Delme. The lintel also bears historical symbols of the monastery. These include two wheels, an abbot’s mitre and the keys of Saint Peter. Casa del Delme thus brings together its medieval use for the Pabordia, the year inscribed on the lintel and the monastery symbols mentioned above. The two years, 1628 and 1767, refer to different historical traces in the townscape, without the buildings having the same function or date of origin.

The former Granja-Escola de Fortianell had a library, a laboratory and meteorological instruments. The Via Heràclea also passed through Fortià. Later, in the Hispanic part, it became the Via Augusta. The town’s history therefore includes both the former educational and research institution with its specific rooms and equipment and the historic road connection. The Via Heràclea and the later name Via Augusta mark two historical references to the same route running through Fortià.

Trails and Activities

Fortià’s network of health trails includes the short circular route „Itinerari Curt“. The route is 2.33 km long and has an elevation gain of 7 m. Its difficulty is easy. The estimated duration is between 30 minutes and 1 hour.

The Sant Silvestre de Fortià is a free activity. It is open to everyone and can be completed on foot or by bicycle. This activity therefore explicitly includes both walking and cycling as means of getting around; at the same time, its free participation and openness to everyone are expressly part of the description.

Other Places

Other places: La Selva de Mar, Palau De Santa Eulàlia, Sant Aniol De Finestres, Santa Llogaia del Terri, Aiguaviva, Cantallops, Les Olives, La Pera

To the main travel overview: Girona.