Gandía

▪ Spain

      city, Valencia provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Valencia, eastern Spain. It lies south of Valencia city at the mouth of the Serpis River. Once a Greek settlement, Gandía was occupied by the Moors in the 8th century and recaptured in 1252 by James I of Aragon, who ordered it rebuilt. It later became a duchy of the Borgia (Borgia, Saint Francis) (Borja) family, whose 14th-century palace still stands. St. Francis Borgia, 4^e duque de Gandía, third general of the Society of Jesus, and a native of the city, founded the first Jesuit college there in 1546. There is also a 14th-century Gothic monastery.

      A port city, Gandía has a shipping industry, as well as factories for leather tanning, silk spinning, and crate making. Tourism is significant in Gandía, which has numerous beaches and a sailing club. Pop. (2007 est.) mun., 77,421.

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