Alénya

Alénya (Catalan: Alenyà) is a commun in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

The village is surrounded by wine fields. Apricot and peach are also grown here.

Geography

Alénya covers an area of 5.34 km² (2.06 sq mi), with 434 inhabitants per km². It is located about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Perpignan and borders the municipalities of Saint-Nazaire en Roussillon, Canet-en-Roussillon, Saint-Cyprien, Elne, Corneilla del Vercol, Théza, and Saleilles. Alénya has a Mediterranean climate.

Alénya is located in the canton of La Côte Radieuse and in the arrondissement of Perpignan.

History

Alénya was first inhabited by the Celts and was conquered by the Romans in c. 121 BC. It was first mentioned in 904 in a document mentioning towns on the Elne.

Before 1214 Alénya was only a small hamlet with little importance. That was the year its first church was built. A second church which still stands today was built in 1593. Among its attractions is a statue of the Virgin Mary from the fifteenth century.