Historical Xàbia

The historic center of Xàbia, known as Xàbia Histórica, is the area where much of its history has been preserved. The narrow streets and facades retain the Gothic style of their ancestors. Until 1874, the historic center of Xàbia was walled. In 2008 they wanted to make this fact visible and part of the old medieval wall was rebuilt.

Another feature of the city is the rough stone that carries many of the portals of the buildings and houses.

Currently, Xàbia Histórica is the administrative center of the city. This urban point is home to the town hall and all citizen management offices.

The monuments and features that make up the historic center are the main attractions for visitors and tourists.

Below we show you the tour of the historic center of Xàbia and the highlights of the visit.


Church of San Bartolome

We start our tour in the center of the city, where the Church of San Bartolomé, dating from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. This is a fine example of the Elizabethan Gothic style.


Municipal market

On one side of the church, just in front of the north facade, is the Municipal Market. The construction dates back to 1946. The place where this business center is located was the Monastery of the Agustinas Descalzas.



Ayuntamiento

On the right side of the church is the town hall.

Plaça de Baix

Near the famous Plaça de Baix is ​​the famous Plaça de Baix Ayuntamiento. In concrete terms, it is the back of the town hall. The stone steps on either side of the Town Hall give access to this charming place where we find shops and restaurants.


Stately houses

In the same square of the church you will see two beautiful examples of stately homes of Xàbia; the Palau dels Sapena or the Casa dels Bolufer.


A few meters from the Church of San Bartolomé, continuing along San Buenaventura Street, we see in front the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum of Soler Blasco. This building is located in what was the House Palace of Antoni Banyuls. The three house the true history of Xàbia. Without a doubt, a mandatory stop to learn about the city's ancestors and treasures.



We descend Calle Primicies and arrive at Calle Mayor where, on the left, we see the Municipal Public Library. If we turn right, we see the House of Tena of 1867. It was owned by a wealthy family of the agricultural bourgeoisie xabienca. This house is currently being converted into the CA Lambert Exhibition Hall.


Municipal public library

The building housing the Municipal Public Library of the historic center has a great history. The building was built in 1982 to house the social headquarters of the agricultural cooperative Jesús Nazareno. Inside, the building rises on two floors and encloses, in the manner of a monastery, a spacious patio with rough semicircular arches.

Santa Ana Chapel

Continuing in the historic center and a few meters from the House of Tena, in Carrer d'Avall, is the Chapel of Santa Ana, a small Gothic building made of rough stone with a rectangular plan. A semicircular arch stands out at the entrance and a ribbed vault. In the Middle Ages, in 1502, it was the hospital. At present, only the chapel, the Capilla de Santa Ana, has been preserved.


Municipal archive

Right next to the Capilla de Santa Ana is the Municipal Archives of Jávea. The building is relatively new. It is where all the documents produced in the Town Hall are kept and where the historical documents that build up local history are also kept.


Monastery of the Agustinas

We return again to Calle Mayor and descend until we reach the Placeta del Convent where we find the Monastery of the Agustinas.

Riurau d'Arnauda

Another monument that shows the tradition of Xàbia is the Riurau dels Català d'Arnauda. From the Placeta del Convent we will go up the carrer Oms to the Plaza de la Constitución where we will enter the green area (Montaner Park). There we find the Riurau, which had been transferred to this point from its original location. The riurau is the most representative example of the importance of the raisin trade in this area.


To end our tour of the center of Xàbia, we leave Riurau through the central part of Montaner Park towards Plaza de la Constitución. Once there, we will continue along Calle Bonaire to Avenida Príncipe de Asturias, where we will find the reconstruction of the medieval walls that we discussed at the beginning.