TownS Valencian Community                                                  VALENCIA

 The municipal Benifaió term borders on the following localities:
Alfarp, Alginet, Almussafes, Picasent and Sollana, all of them of the province of Valencia.

From Valencia, one gains access to this locality across the A-7 and then taking the CV 520. Also it is provided with train station in the line C-2 of outskirts of Valencia (RENFE).

The name of Benifaió appears for the first time in "Llibre del Repartiment" (I free of the Share-out) on June 13, 1238, like one of ten farmhouses granted by king Jaime I to men of his army proceeding from Barcelona. The name comes from the Arab farmhouse and (children) and "Hayyén" are formed for "beni", name of Moslem, usual family also in Christian grounds.
The first human presence was detected close to the current nucleus of the population, in the limit of the term with Alfarp, in the area of Font of l'Almaguer. There remains of the period were epipaleolítico, it does approximately 10.000 to 8.000 years. From the eneolítico there come the remains of the Paridera, Pla of them Clotxes and an axe of stone polished along with the downtown. In Font of Mussa there appeared tops of arrow and diverse material lítico clearly eneolítico. Of the Age of Bronze, years 1.800 to 700 adC, exist populated in Font of l'Almaguer.
But the clearest poblamientos traces come of the Roman epoch and they are to the outskirts of the downtown. He emphasizes the existence of a rustic town where his inhabitants lived between the Ist to IVth centuries dC., as the numismatic remains show us and of varied ceramics. The town was getting up on a small hill close to the missing person "Font of Mussa", where an altar met an inscription devoted to the god Mitra. In the year 2002, during a few excavations a Mosaic bichromium appeared, in a finished room of the Roman town, at present exhibited in the Beneficéncia of Valencia.
The primitive Benifaió would be originally renowned Moslem farmhouse quoted in Llibre del Repartiment. On April 9, 1238 king Jaime I hired for three years the tenth part that was corresponding to him of the Farmhouses of Benifaió and Janet (Alginet), in those times term of Valencia.
In the XVth century a limited downtown formed, about a Gothic church in which Gonzalo Peris had painted a reredos. The population, who was depending ecclesiastically on Espioca, together with that of Alginet and Almusafes, happened to occupy the head office for the despoblamiento who endured the Espioca village because of the epidemics provoked by the cultivation of the rice. The clergy and the bell moved to Benifaió, and to Picasent the civil authority, remaining Espioca incorporated into his municipal term.
In 1609, there was ordained the expulsion of the Moriscos, thing that produced a big demographic loss and the abandonment of the cultivation of the grounds. As a result of that Benifaió was sold to Miquel Falcó of Belochaga that the population as a Barony links. The barons of Benifaió were residing in the house - palace attached to the existing tower (at present called Tower of the Plaça).

After years of suits, the Town hall and the neighbors bought to the Falcó the stately rights, for the quantity for 75.000 pesetas or 300.000 real ones of sheepskin. The dismemberment writing was signed on September 28, 1872, remaining like that the free municipality of charges and joining to the nation. Benifaió stops calling of Falcó and is named of Espioca.
The Judgment of Benifaió
There is known as a Sentence of Benifaió the one that there pronounced the Supreme Court (Room of the contentious - Administrative thing, 4th Section) on September 21, 1998, which left without effect the Plenary Agreement of the Town hall of Benifaió, of April 26, 1988, for which one was arranging that the internal writings in Valencian were adapted to the orthographic norm that dictates the Real Academy of Valencian Culture (not official entity that defends the independence of the Valencian one with regard to the Catalan, position not endorsed by most of the scientific community). The resource there was presented by Vicent Duart Gadea (Vicent Duart), councilman for Unitat del Poble Valencia and current councilman of the Nationalistic Pad Valencia. The Supreme Court was confirming the judgment n. 335/1992, dictated, with date March 10, 1992, by the Room of the contentious - Administrative of the Top Court of Justice of the Valencian Community . The judgment had a big aftereffect mediática in due time and it was of special relevancy since he supposed a radical brake to the secesionismo of the Valencian one with regard to the Catalan in the administration, initiated by Valencian Union. The mayoralty was in hands of Vicente Choví of Valencian Union. It is necessary to emphasize that when the resource appeared, the Generalitat was presided by Joan Lerma (Spanish socialist party) that did not act opposite to the illegality staying to initiatives favor like that of the councilman of the UPV. In date April 7, 1992 it presented request signed by Vicent F. Duart Gadea, Matilde Ferrà i Perelló and Josepa Chesa i Vila, before the president of the Generalitat, Joan Lerma, claiming the indemnification of 79.500 ptas by way of the fees paid to the attorneys, for not performance of the administration in defense of his competitions in matter linguistic and recognized in the judgment.

From the Benifaió gastronomy they emphasize the rices, in paella, to the stove or in stew. The paella has diverse specialties, as that of the meat, fish, cabbage and ribs, vegetables and snails. Of the watery rices, of "fessols i naps"; from the facts to the stove, of "panses i cigrons". Also "l'olla of Nadal" with it "pilots" of loin.
Of the sweets, the donuts for San Jose; for Holy Week, the arnadí or "carabassa saint"; in Easter the "silly coca" and they "cokes escudellades". Also they are popular the "coca to the llanda" or "pastissets of moniato" or "encarats", for Christmas.