Township

The municipality measures about 19'31 square kilometres. The village is about 249 meters over the sea level. It adjoins to the northwest with Linyola, to the north with Vallverd of Urgell, to the northeast with Ivars of Urgell, to the east with Castellnou of Seana, to the south with Golmés, to the Southwest with Mollerussa, to the west with Palau of Anglesola and Poal. The township has the 16 following wards: Clot Rotated and Ferran, Ferran and the Kite, l'Estany, Clot of the one Conill and Pla of Mestre, Camí of Castellnou, Tower of Francesc, Farmhouse of Felip, Serradal, els Merlets, Camí of Tàrrega and Merlets, Toast of Xamà, Tower of Faixes and Novelles Baixes, Comelles, Highway of Linyola, Pla of Manel and Serradal, Highway of Mollerussa and High Novella.

Vila-sana it is the name of the township from 17th July 1933, after the segregation of the one nucleus of Utxafava, the farmhouses of Novellas (High and it Lowers), and it leaves of the old one uninhabited of Oberts. The independence was made regarding the neighboring population of Castellnou of Seana.

History

The name of Utxafava appears in ancient documents from the year 1079, in particular, it appears in a list of parish priests belonging to Vic bishopric (bishopric of Solsona from 1593) posted to the villages from Anglesola municipality. Between 1283 and 1422 there was a barony of Utxafava, that later became a domain from Bellpuig barony. From other sources we know that the name Utxafaca could be Arab in origin, derived from "Borchafava". The root "borch" means "tower". It could derive from a previous word indeed, maybe Iberian. The word "water" has relation, in this ancient language with the particle "oxa" ("Utxa" - fava). Amid the desert there was water, at least, before that they dried up, it existed a lagoon and several rafts (well-known as "clots").

Utxafava remained deserted after the fourteenth-century plagues and the following migrations of its population. In the census carried out in the years 1360 and 1370, the township had only 43 fires, that means, 215 inhabitants. Few years later, in 1378 the village only had 12 fires or 60 inhabitants. And even it doesn't appear mentioned in 1497 and 1553 censuses. The primitive setting would be located in the highest part, in the ward of Vilot. Utxafava inhabited again until 1695, when Pere Gomar, attorney from Bellpuig barony, built the Casa Vella. During the eighteenth-century several farmhouses were built: in 1748 Josep Galitó constructed the "Casa de Dalt", today called Cal Senyor; and in 1766 Antoni Teixidó made the "Casa del Benefici", today known as Masia Fraret. But the the setting was a group of houses without entity to figure in the census done in 1787 by the earl of Floridabanca. In 1845 Madoz says that there are 5 neighbours, a total of 29 inhabitants. At the end of the nineteenth century we should speak of a village, with a minimum urban network among the different farmhouses. For these historical reasons Vila-sana has not an old medieval center, and a big urban development at the same time a great complexity urbanística. Towards 1910 we find 269 inhabitants, demography that it was in increase until the 680 residents of 1960. Then the emigration toward to the cities: in 1970 it had 624 inhabitants, in 1981 about 556, and in 2001 only 540.

Artistic and Cultural Heritage

Casa Vella is an outstanding Baroque building, datable to 1695. It has a beautiful chapel, consecrated in 1702 with the image of the Virgin of the Head, that the duchess of Sessa, Teresa of Cardona, brought from of Andújar (Jaén) and delivered to the chapel.

In April 1784 Pasqual Ribalta, master builder from Castellnou of Seana, signed up the construction of Utxafava's church.The temple that was consecrated in June 1790. The result was a house with double function that still: church and the priest's residence.

The steeple is a work of half-filled of the century XX. The biggest altarpiece, burned in 1936, it was taken charge to the sculptor of Navarrese Félix of Skirts in February of 1794, and finally blessed in December of 1795.

In the term also we find the farmhouses of High Novella and Low Novella, this way as a declared Very Cultural shade banana of Interest Local.

At level etnologic, those festivities of the town are: May 8 (san appearance Miguel, party bigger small, popularly well-known as "sant Miquelet"; 29 of September (sant Miquel, bigger party; and September 30 (Virgin of the Head, that it also takes place on last Sunday of April).

Services

- City council: Bigger Square, 4. Telf.: 973 71 03 91.

- Medical clinic: Square Bigger, s/n. Telf.: 973 60 19 01.

- Pharmacy: Avda. Catalonia, 91. Telf.: 973 71 13 21.

- Mail: Avda. Catalonia, 65.

- The house of the priest: 973 60 19 16.

- Restoring Petit Xiroi: C / of Vilot, s/n. Telf. 973 71 27 04.