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The
south slope of the Almijara mountain range takes up a large part of the municipality
of Frigiliana and its topography is complex and rich in contrasts, with peaks
that, without reaching the heights of that mountain mass, do easily exceed
1,000 metres, such as Sierra de Enmedio (1,164 metres), or that are close
to that height as in the case of El Fuerte (976 metres). For more information
about property for sale in Spain in
or near Frigiliana please contact us.
The River Chillar marks the boundary of this municipality and that of Nerja,
and its tributary the Higuerón provides, with its so-called Hoces del
Río Higuerón (Gorges of the River Higuerón), one of the
most striking natural sites in the entire area. It, and the cliffs and gorges
of the River Chillar itself, form an incomparably scenic landscape. The terraced
market gardens that, at the village, begin their descent toward the coast,
between the dazzling white of the houses and the blue Mediterranean in the
background, are another feature of an area whose image will remain engraved
in the traveller’s memory for a very long time.
Travellers coming to Frigiliana for the first time will probably have a preconceived
idea about the village, since many different clichés have been used
to describe it. In fact, these same clichés could describe any of the
typical Andalusian mountain villages that look out over the sea. In this case,
however, all the clichés are true. and are even surpassed by an ineffable
sensation that is as hard to describe as it is easy to perceive and that perhaps
no one can accurately identify unless by resorting to another cliché:
bewitchment. Clichés aside, the historic quarter of Frigiliana, of
all those in the entire province, is considered to be one that has best preserved
its original Moorish form. Its anarchic street plan-anarchic from the twenty-first
century perspective-leads the visitor from one surprise to another: unexpectedly
massive architecture, streets, alleys, covered passageways, stairways, plants
and flowers in the most unlikely places, a mixture of fragrances from hidden
sources, ancient history in new whitewash… And once you leave the intimacy
and constriction of its streets, the breadth of a superb landscape above the
Eastern Costa del Sol.
Remains found in 1987 in the Cueva de los Murciélagos (The Bat cave) attest to the presence of man in this territory from the late Neolithic period (3,000 B. C.) until the Calcolithic or Copper Age (2.000 B. C.). There is a menhir (standing stone) from the late Algar culture that provides evidence that man was present in this area in that era, and very near the village is the Cerrillo de las Sombras necropolis from the Phoenician epoch (700-600 B. C.) The Romans occupied this territory in 206 B.C. through treaties with the native population and, Frigiliana was included in the Conventus de Gades. The name of the village comes from the Romans. It derives from Frexinius (a personage about whom nothing is known) and the suffix “ana”, which means source, that is to say the place or villa of Frexinius.
Little is known about the history of Frigiliana from the arrival of the Arabs to the Peninsula in 711 A. D. until the late ninth century, when the fortress was built, except that it was under the leadership of Omar Ben Hafsun. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, it formed part of the Nazarite Kingdom. The village surrendered to the Christian troops in 1485 without bloodshed. Bit by bit, however, the Moors were stripped of the few rights that they had (they farmed the worst soil and were forbidden to speak and write their language or wear their traditional dress) until the Moorish rebellion broke out in the Alpujarras mountains and was brutally put down by the Christians. The Moors from La Axarquía and the Malaga mountains, expecting the aid promised by Aben Humeya from the Alpujarras and also aid from North Africa, sought refuge in El Fuerte de Frigiliana (the Fort of Frigiliana), where some 7,000 of them gathered.
On 28 May 1569, the corregidor (magistrate) of Vélez began the first assault with the ominous outcome of 20 dead and 150 wounded among the Christian troops. At that time, 25 galleys of the Italian fleet were sailing in the Mediterranean and the corregidor of Vélez asked for assistance in squashing the Frigiliana insurgents. On this occasion, it was 6,000 men who confronted the Moors, who were defeated despite their resistance on 11 June 1569. There were 2,000 killed and 3,000 captives among the defeated forces (some 2,000 escaped) and 400 dead and 800 wounded among the victors.
The Battle of El Peñón de Frigiliana
has been reproduced by Amparo Ruiz de Luna, somewhat in the manner if a “romance
de ciego” ballad, on glazed ceramic panels that can be seen at the present
time in various places in the village. From that date until the
nineteenth century, misfortune rained down upon Frigiliana. When it was not
the plague that decimated the population, it was a storm that destroyed the
crops, or an earthquake, or the phylloxera pest that attacked the grapevines
or an outbreak of yellow fever that caused havoc. It would not be until the
arrival of tourism that Frigiliana, like the rest of the Costa del Sol, entered
into a period of prosperity and social and economic peace.
Fiestas
The patron saint fiestas in honour of San Sebastián take place just
as the year is getting started, on 20 January. Since 1967, however, they have
been reduced to their religious elements: a mass and a procession with the
statues of San Sebastián, San Antonio and San Antón. Simply
for reasons relating to the weather, their popular festivities have been transferred
to the day of San Antonio on 13 June. During the carnival in February, there
are performances by musical groups and street performers and a verbena (traditional
street party) is also held.
The most important day of the Semana Santa (Holy Week) is Good Friday, when the Muerte y Desprendimiento de Jesús (Death of Jesus and His Lowering From the Cross) is enacted in the parish church, after which is the Santo Sepulcro (Holy Burial) procession. It is, however, the Soledad (Solitude) stage that invokes the greatest solemnity: the village streets are lit only by the candles carried by the women who march in the procession, giving an unusual appearance to the village.
The Día del Caballo (Day of the Horse) is celebrated on 1 May at Cañada del Ingenio, where characteristic local products are sampled, and later, there is a display of horsemanship. Two days later the village collects flowers, food and drink in preparation for the Cruces de Mayo (May Crosses) celebration, when religious, gastronomic and folkloric traditions combine to produce a lively traditional street party in the church square.
A pilgrimage is held on 13 June, the day of San Antonio, in which the image of the saint is transported in an oxcart to Pozo Viejo, a place next to the River Higuerón, where the pilgrims gather in the shade of the pines for a rural outing. The popular dance competition in early August gathers together many national and international folkloric groups who show off their traditional dances at the municipal multi-sports complex, and in early September the Candelarias celebrations bring traditional music to the beat of zambombas and almireces (folk percussion instruments).
Food
As a result of this village’s proximity to the coast and, the
large numbers of visitors that it receives, international cuisine has come
to compete with its indigenous dishes. The most authentic representatives
of the latter type are choto (kid), which is served with various types of
sauces, and ajocolorao (a soup with garlic), as well as migas de harina (a
dish made from fried crumbs) and codfish-based potajes (stews) during the
Semana Santa. Together with tortillitas de huevo y harina aderezadas con miel
de caña (egg and flour omelets seasoned with sugarcane syrup, a highly
esteemed product in this area) these dishes make up Frigiliana’s most
characteristic menu.
Arropía (a milk caramel) and marcochas, whose main ingredient is sugarcane
syrup, are the most traditional items on the dessert menu of this village,
where batatas con miel (sweet potatoes with syrup) are also very popular.
According to some historians, muscatel wine produced in Frigiliana has been
famous since the Roman era.
How to get there:
Take the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7; N-340) towards Motril and
shortly before Nerja turn onto the MA-105, which
leads straight to Frigiliana.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Calle Real, 80 (29788). Telephone: 952 533 002; Fax:
952 533 434
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