Sant Fruitó's church (La Vall de Santa Creu)

Description

The cell mentioned in old documents has not left any remains to our days; there is only a reference of the discovery of middle-age slab tombs when the rectory was built at the beginning of the century. The current church is formed of one nave built possibly in XVI century or XVII century.

In the western facade, where the entrance of the church is, moved towards a side, a belfry can be found. The belfry starts at ground floor, with three pillars that act as buttress of the wall. A staircase leads to the belfry from one side, to the other side it leads to a cemetery found in front of the church’s façade.

Over the entrance gate there us an oculus. The wall is plastered, but part of the stone can be seen. There a date is written: 1670.

The apse is semi-circular and elongated, following the nave. On the outside, under the eave, an embrasure appears. It has traces of vestiges from a slab cover.  At the southern part, there is an attached sacristy.

The interior of the church is plastered and painted. The vaults on the nave and apse are lunettes. A transverse and a triumphal arch are lowered. There are two lateral altars, one at each side. The centre is wooden.

The cemetery was built in June 1618.

Location

After arriving to the parking lot, we will walk to the entrance of the town and the church will be at our right side. In front of the church there is the small cemetery of la Vall.

History

The cell of St. Fruitós de la Vall appears in the same documents where the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes is first mentioned, it was in the middle of a dispute with two other cells between the monasteries of Sant Esteve de Banyoles and St. Policarp del Rasés for their dominion. When St. Pere de Rodes achieved independence, the other two cells were assigned to it.
In the middle of this conflict, St. Fruitós de la Vall is mentioned in 866 in the decree of Charles the Bald, in facour to the abbey of Banyoles. In 878 in a decree of Louis The Statterer and on the same year in a trial held in Castelló d'Empúries. In 899 Charles The Modest gives the St. Fructuós church to the Cathedral of Girona. In 916 Charles The Modest gives it to St. Esteve of Banyoles. In 948, in a decree of Louis d’Outremer, appears for the first time under the dominion of the Monastery of St. Pere de Rodes.

The church of St. Fruitós appears as under the church of Sta. Creu de Rodes and when this parish ended, it changed to be under St. Esteve de la Selva de Mar. Nowadays it is aggregated to the parish of El Port de la Selva.

Bibliography

Badia i Homs, Joan; L'arquitectura medieval de l'Empordà. Alt Empordà. II - B. Diputació de Girona. 1981. Girona