Hotels in Cruïlles

Cruïlles

Cruïlles is a village in the Baix Empordà, the administrative centre of the municipality of Cruïlles, Monells i Sant Sadurní de l'Heura, formed in 1973 and known for having the longest place name in Catalan. It lies on the Pla de Cruïlles above the river Daró, beside the road between La Bisbal d'Empordà and Cassà de la Selva, about two kilometres from La Bisbal. The place is documented in 991 as Crucilias, and it was the seat of the barony of Cruïlles, a noble family that in the thirteenth century also acquired Peratallada and whose lands stretched from the Empordà plain into the Gavarres massif. The keep of its castle still rises over the village, together with stretches of the medieval walls, some built in a herringbone pattern of river stones, and a square tower of dressed stone. The parish church of Santa Eulàlia and the hermitage of the Mare de Déu de l'Esperança complete the old centre. Nearby stands the Romanesque Benedictine monastery of Sant Miquel de Cruïlles, a three-nave basilica with three apses and a dome, declared a cultural asset of national interest. The municipality also includes Monells, with the church of Sant Genís, and Sant Sadurní de l'Heura, the capital, with its own parish church, as well as Sant Joan de Salelles. Its territory stretches from the Empordà plain into the woods of the Gavarres massif, a landscape of fields, farmhouses and quiet lanes. It suits travellers who want a calm rural base in the Baix Empordà, a couple of kilometres from La Bisbal d'Empordà. The road GI-664 links the village with La Bisbal to the east and Cassà de la Selva to the west.