La Febró

The Febró is located in the heart of the Prades mountains, in the upper valley of the river Siurana, in the midst of breathtaking nature, surrounded by a great calm. They must see the potholes and ditches, located on the mountain to the people.

 

History

The Febró is situated amid the mountains of Prades, at the top of the Siurana river valley. It is 16.04 km2. In the southern part there is the Motllats, a 986m peak in the Foradada; to the north, it borders Cornudella, in the region of Priorat. The highest point in this area is 1,028m.

There are medium bronze materials from the prehistoric period that were found in the cave of the town, among them a large jar 75 cm high, richly ornamented with beads and arches, and also land a scoop. Ribbed pottery and medieval tombs appeared in Solana, in the Migdia Rock, Collet Blanc, at Parada of Castellans and Maset del Joan de la Font, amongst other places.

It seems that initially, the Febró was within the limits of the town charter of Siurana of 1153. The re-population had come in 1151 with the conquest of the mountains of Prades by Ponç and Ramon Cabrera. The town was included in Prades County since its birth in 1324.

The town's name, written "Febror", was first mentioned in the town charter of Santes Creus in 1163, whilst from the sixteenth century onwards, it is mentioned as "the Febrosa". The popular etymology holds that the name comes from the fact that in the years of the town foundation there were some strong pests.

Febró depended on Capafonts, as the church was its suffragan until 1847. In 1406, it had its own batllet and in 1629 it became a villa. The two flour mills are from the eighteenth century, which suggests an economic boom. Madoz, in 1847, said that the lands of the area produced wheat, oil, wine, vegetables, barley, vegetables and reared flocks of sheep, goats, pigs and that the woods were oak, holm oak and pine.

Coal mining was a usual activity during the beginning of the last century. Given the geographical location and the ease of finding hiding places, the presence of the maquis (rural guerrilla) in the area was continual between 1940-1950.

 

Places to visit

The chasms

The most popular site of the village are the depths of the Febró, close to La Mussara and defined by a crack in the cliff about 250m in length by 25-30m deep and about 6-8m wide. Inside there are two caves that had stalactites; these were plucked to decorate the gardens of the disappeared Mas de Macia Vila, in Reus. The valleys full of vegetation, were a haven for smugglers and conspirators during the nineteenth century. According to history, they also hid in General Prim in 1843.

The masías

To the west there was a complex of several buildings from the eighteenth century, now collapsed, called Masos of Galceran. The house is best known as Mas dels Frares, first mentioned in 1641. This is a former farm that used to be owned by Escaladei and that was restored by the patron Evarist Fàbregas.

The church

The village is collected and elongated and it is chaired by the parish church of Sant Esteve.