vallivana
LA LLÈCUA
STAGE 13
LA TRANSHUMANCIA
VALLIVANA - LA LLÈCUA
Transhumance is a livestock practice closely linked to the history of this region. Els Ports has been, since prehistoric times, a passage for shepherds and herds from the interior to the coast, one of the factors that contributed to the development of an extensive network of paths throughout the territory.
POINTS DE SCELLEMENT :
- Vilafranca: Tourist office and Town Hall.
- Cinctorres: Tourist office and Town Hall.
- Forcall: Tourist office and Town Hall.
- La Mata: Town Hall.
- Todolella: Town Hall.
- Olocau del Rey: Tourist information point.
- Villores: Town Hall.
- Morella: Tourist office.
- Vallibona: Tourist information point.
- Portell: Town Hall.
- Herbés: Town Hall.
For more information, please contact any registration point or the Els Ports Regional Commonwealth:
Tlf. 964440306 / 964441266
E-mail: info@mancomunitatelsports.es
Hermitage and fountain of Salvassòria
Cultural / natural / historical heritage. Traditional crafts
This architectural site comprises a small hamlet and a chapel dedicated to Santa Llúcia (Saint Lucy). It has been declared an Asset of Local Relevance. It was built in the typical style of the Reconquest, and was a parish church from the 13th century until a new church in La Llècua was constructed in the18th century. This was the main reason Salvassòria was gradually abandoned.
The remains of the chapel include the Romanesque façade and the bell gable. One of its bells, known as the Campaneta de les Ánimes (Bell of the Souls) dates from the 15th century and can be found in the church of La Llècua. The remains of Salvassòria and its fountain are a stopping place on the pilgrimage from Catí to Sant Pere de Castellfort, held in the month of May.
This hamlet appears in the Llibre del Fets, a 13th century chronicle of the reign of Jaume I: “…e pois passam pel riu de les Troites e eixim a la canada d’Ares e de la canada d’Ares al port de Prunelles et a Salvasòria…”
Llècua wells
Cultural / natural / historical heritage. Traditional crafts
According to some sources as well as its etymology, the name of La Llècua comes from the Latin lacua “ponds”, a variant of the Vulgar Latin lacus “lake”. So it would seem that La Llècua stands on an ancient endhoreic land that was difficult to drain, where there was a lake supplied by ground and
surface water.
The fact that La Llècua was rich in water has been documented over the centuries, as we can see in the wells that supplied water to the locals: De la Cima, l’Aljub and De Dalt wells.
The former lake favoured excellent conditions for growing potatoes and cereal as the land is extremely fertile and rich in nitrates.