Fayón
Encyclopedia
Fayón or Faió (fəˈjo, faˈjo) is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza
, Aragon
, Spain
. According to the 2004 census
(INE
), the municipality has a population of 395 inhabitants.
This town is located between the Ebro and the Matarranya
rivers in La Franja
area; the local dialect is a variant of Catalan
.
comarca.
During the Battle of the Ebro
some of the most bloody battles in the Spanish Civil War
were fought in the Auts
area, about 8 km north of Faió. On the 25th July 1938 the 42 division of the Spanish Republican Army
successfuly crossed the river in this area but was surrounded and massacred in the Auts hills by the rebels
.
Traditionally Fayón was part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida. In 1955 the Cesaraugustanae et aliarum decree of the Consistorial Congregation was published and on the 2d September of the same year, Fayón, along with Mequinensa was segregated from Lleida and merged with the Archdiocese of Zaragoza
.
The ancestral village was submerged by the waters of the Riba-roja Reservoir in 1967 and the present-day village was built by ENHER, the state-owned company that built the dam. After the closure of the nearby coal mines, Fayón has lost about 50% of its population.
Zaragoza (province)
Zaragoza is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in Zaragoza include Calatayud, Borja, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Ejea de los Caballeros and Tarazona.Its...
, Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. According to the 2004 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
(INE
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
), the municipality has a population of 395 inhabitants.
This town is located between the Ebro and the Matarranya
Matarranya River
The Matarranya River is a river in the provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It begins its course at 1,200 m nordeast of the Tossal d'Encanader, Ports de Beseit. limestone massif near La Pobla de Benifassà....
rivers in La Franja
La Franja
La Franja is a term that refers to the Catalan-speaking territories of Aragon bordering Catalonia, in Spain. It literally means "the strip" and can also more properly be called Franja d'Aragó or Franja de Ponent in Catalan ....
area; the local dialect is a variant of Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
.
History
Historically this town and its municipal term were considered part of the Matarranya, but presently it is included in the Bajo Aragón-Caspe/Baix Aragó-CaspBajo Aragón-Caspe/Baix Aragó-Casp
Bajo Aragón-Caspe or Baix Aragó-Casp is a comarca in eastern Aragon, bordering the Spanish Autonomous Community of Catalonia.It borders the Aragonese comarques of Matarranya, Monegros, Bajo Cinca, Bajo Martín and Ribera Baja del Ebro, and the Catalan comarques of Terra Alta, Baix Ebre, and Ribera...
comarca.
During the Battle of the Ebro
Battle of the Ebro
The Battle of the Ebro was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War...
some of the most bloody battles in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
were fought in the Auts
Auts
Auts is a small mountain range west of the Ebro river in the Bajo Aragón-Caspe/Baix Aragó-Casp comarca, Aragon, Spain. It is located about 9 km north of Fayón , close to the road between Maella and Mequinenza ....
area, about 8 km north of Faió. On the 25th July 1938 the 42 division of the Spanish Republican Army
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
successfuly crossed the river in this area but was surrounded and massacred in the Auts hills by the rebels
Spanish State
Francoist Spain refers to a period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975 when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco....
.
Traditionally Fayón was part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida. In 1955 the Cesaraugustanae et aliarum decree of the Consistorial Congregation was published and on the 2d September of the same year, Fayón, along with Mequinensa was segregated from Lleida and merged with the Archdiocese of Zaragoza
Archdiocese of Zaragoza
The Archdiocese of Zaragoza is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Zaragoza , part of the autonomous community of Aragón...
.
The ancestral village was submerged by the waters of the Riba-roja Reservoir in 1967 and the present-day village was built by ENHER, the state-owned company that built the dam. After the closure of the nearby coal mines, Fayón has lost about 50% of its population.