Parcent
 

Located in Alicante province in the Marina Alta area of the Valencian community, Parcent is a ting Spanish village in the Pop Valley (commonly referred to as the Jalón Valley). Parcent is approximately an hour’s drive north of the city of Alicante and an hour and a half south of the city of Valencia.

It features the small but beautiful Holy Virgin church with its unique single church bell which was rooved in 1929, then later restored in 1949. The village sits atop a small hill at 295 metres above sea level. It is surrounded by rolling hills and mountains and has magical views across the valley. The town hall was built in 1912.

Writer Gabriel Miró (1879-1930) was a resident of Parcent and called it a “paradise between the mountains”. Miró’s book ‘Del Vivir’ was inspired by a journey through various Alicante province villages including Parcent.

There is also a Moorish village which was unearthed in 1984.

The traditional economy of Parcent relies on almond and orange farming. The name ‘Parcent’ is believed to be of Latin origin. Later, it was a Moorish town until Spanish armies conquered it in 1256 AD.

There was a major outbreak of leprosy in Parcent in 1850 and by 1887, 20% of Parcent’s residents were afflicted. This apparently motivated the inclusion of passages about the disease in Miró's two so-called "Oleza" novels. It possibly also accounts for the founding of a hospital in nearby Fontilles which took in patients suffering from leprosy. The hospital founded by Jesuit priest, Carlos Ferris and lawyer Joaquin Ballester in 1902 has become an internationally-proclaimed organization for the research and treatment of leprosy and other diseases.

The 2006 census revealed that Parcent's population was 1,019 inhabitants. It was also found that about 35% of the village’s population were not Spanish citizens, but mostly residents from overseas.

Parcent celebrates several events throughout the year. In early August, the major fiestas begin in honour of San Lorenzo. The January romería fiestas are held in honour of San Antonio Abad and in April the fiesta of San Vicente Ferrer takes place.