Sant Martí d’Empúries is a village in the area of the Alt Empordà (Girona) right at the heart of the Costa Brava. It is within the municipality of L’Escala and was the original nucleus of this town. It is situated 200 m. North of the archaeological site of Empúries, and was built around the remains of Palaiàpolis. It became one of the first colonies of the Phocaean colony (575 B.C.), when it was known as Emporion. According to the 2009 census, Sant Martí has 61 inhabitants, however there are only 15 people resident all year round!
The name ‘Empúries’ is derived from the Latin ‘Empuriae’ which in turn comes from the Classic Greek word ‘Emporion’ meaning ‘market,’ which is how the Greeks spoke of the colony, the initial purpose of which was to have the advantage of being a commercial power. From the early Middle Ages it had always been known as Empúries, or Vila d’Empúries, which would change to Sant Martí d’Empúries (for the arrival of its church) from 1766, when L’Escala became the municipal capital.
A little potted history: In the 4th Century B.C., a group of Greeks from ancient Ionian city of Phocaea on the west coast of what is now Turkey, established the first colony in Empúries, at that time united with the mainland by a strip of land. They called the colony Palaiàpolis. This, although it lost importance, was never totally abandoned, and with the decline of the Roman Empire from the 3rd Century, regained importance as a principal settlement. There was continuity due to Sant Martí being episcopal headquarters between 516 and 693 A.D., although hardly any buildings remain from that time. In 715, the entire zone was conquered by the Muslims but Charlemagne recaptured it in 785. With the reorganisation of Spanish territories in 812, came the first medieval Count of Empúries: Ermenguer. Sant Martí was, therefore the county town until at least 1064, when it was decided to move the honour to Castelló d’Empúries. However, the population in Sant Martí d’Empúries remained relatively static after this point and the walls which still exist today are the fruits of later works, as is also the church, which dates from 1507.
In more recent times the most important transformation took place principally during the 1990s with improvements to the village, pedestrian walkways, the beach areas and the old quarter, in order that Empúries would take a lead role at the start of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, welcoming the flame from its journey across the sea. In the village there are little more than five streets and two squares. The main square (La Plaça Major) is the nerve centre of the village, proudly presided by the church of Sant Martí and is where everyone meets on the bar terraces to enjoy the wide gastronomic offerings.