Vallivana
Encyclopedia
Vallivana is a small settlement belonging to Morella
, Ports (comarca)
.
, right by N-232 road between Vinaròs
and Morella
.
In 1672, during a severe plague
epidemic
, the citizens of Morella brought the statue of the Virgin Mary
from the Sanctuary of Vallivana, and carried it in a procession through the streets of the town. The plague disappeared from the city never to return.
To commemorate this event every six years the Sexenni de Morella festival takes place in the town for nine days in late August. The virgin is carried in procession and the traditional town guild
s perform ancient dances in her honour. The festivities in 2006 were the first of the 21st century.
This small place gives its name to the Serra de Vallivana
, a mountain range that rises over Vallivana. This area has the most important forested zone of the region. The rockier and less forested Serra de l'Espadella
rises to the northeast, on the other side of the valley through which the road passes.
There is also a restaurant and a forestry department office. Most of the remaining dwellings lie abandoned.
This place is not to be confused with Vallibona
, a small town in the same area further north over the Serra del Turmell mountain range.
Morella
"Morella" is a short story in the Gothic horror genre by 19th-century American author and critic Edgar Allan Poe.-Plot summary:An unnamed narrator marries Morella, a woman with great scholarly knowledge who delves into studies of the German philosophers Fichte and Schelling, dealing with the...
, Ports (comarca)
Ports (comarca)
Ports is a comarca in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. It mostly overlaps the historical comarca known as Ports de Morella , except for the municipal areas surrounding Catí and Vilafranca that were excluded from the present-day Ports...
.
Description
It is located 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) southeast of Morella, at the eastern end of the Dena de Coll i MollDena
Dena is a mountain range within the Zagros Mountains of West/Southwestern Iran.The Dena is a part of the Zagros mountain range, situated on the boundary of the Isfahan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces...
, right by N-232 road between Vinaròs
Vinaròs
Vinaròs is a town and municipality in eastern Spain, in the province of Castelló and part of the autonomous Valencian Community. The town is on the Gulf of Valencia coast of the western Mediterranean Sea, Vinaròs is a fishing harbour and tourist destination....
and Morella
Morella
"Morella" is a short story in the Gothic horror genre by 19th-century American author and critic Edgar Allan Poe.-Plot summary:An unnamed narrator marries Morella, a woman with great scholarly knowledge who delves into studies of the German philosophers Fichte and Schelling, dealing with the...
.
In 1672, during a severe plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
, the citizens of Morella brought the statue of the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
from the Sanctuary of Vallivana, and carried it in a procession through the streets of the town. The plague disappeared from the city never to return.
To commemorate this event every six years the Sexenni de Morella festival takes place in the town for nine days in late August. The virgin is carried in procession and the traditional town guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
s perform ancient dances in her honour. The festivities in 2006 were the first of the 21st century.
This small place gives its name to the Serra de Vallivana
Serra de Vallivana
Serra de Vallivana or Muntanyes de Vallivana is an over long mountain range straddling the Alt Maestrat and Baix Maestrat comarcas, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Muixacre , located close to the Port de Querol mountain pass in the N-232 road. Other important peaks are Montserrat...
, a mountain range that rises over Vallivana. This area has the most important forested zone of the region. The rockier and less forested Serra de l'Espadella
Serra de l'Espadella
Serra de l'Espadella is an over long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Espadella...
rises to the northeast, on the other side of the valley through which the road passes.
There is also a restaurant and a forestry department office. Most of the remaining dwellings lie abandoned.
This place is not to be confused with Vallibona
Vallibona
Vallibona is a small town and municipality located in the Ports comarca, province of Castelló, part of the autonomous community of Valencia, Spain. According to the 2009 census, it has a total population of 90 inhabitants...
, a small town in the same area further north over the Serra del Turmell mountain range.
Places of interest
- Capella de la Mare de Déu de Vallivana, the church guarding the image of the virgin.