Agost

Agost
Municipality
Coat of arms
Agost Location in Spain
Coordinates: 38°26′21″N 0°38′22″W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Valencian Community
Province	Alicante
Comarca	Campo de Alicante
Judicial district	Novelda
Government
• Alcalde	Antonio Pérez González (2007) (PSPV-PSOE)
Area
• Total	66.64 km2 (25.73 sq mi)
Elevation	376 m (1,234 ft)
Population  (2008)
• Total	4,813
• Density	72/km2 (190/sq mi)
Demonym	Agoster(a)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Official language(s)	Valencian
Website	Official website

Agost (Catalan pronunciation: [aˈɣost]) is a Valencian town and municipality located in the province of Alicante, Spain, at a distance of about 18 kilometres (11 mi) from Alicante, the capital of the province. Due to its relative distance from the Mediterranean Sea, Agost was not directly affected by the mass tourism that the towns on the Costa Blanca experienced, and has maintained its local character.

Until the sixties, the economy of Agost was mainly based on pottery and agriculture. Today most of the traditional potteries have closed, or turned into factories producing construction elements. There are still about 11 potteries active in the town; six of them still produce traditional pottery. Agriculture remains a second income source for many families in Agost.

Sights

• The church (Sant Pere Apòstol)
• The hermitage (Ermita de les Santes Justa i Rufina) built in 1821
• The ruins of an old castle (Castell d'Agost and Castell de la Murta)
• Agost's museum (Museu de Cantereria), pottery museum in a turn-of-the-century pottery complex

Fiestas

• Santíssima Mare de Déu de la Pau (15 – 24 January)
• El dia de la Vella (3 weeks after Ash Wednesday)
• Moros i Cristians, Saint Peter's day (end of June)
• Les danses del Rei Moro (26 December)

External links

• Official website of Agost, Valencian and Spanish
• Pottery Museum in Agost, Spanish
• Accommodation in an old pottery complex + workplace for potters/ ceramists, Spanish
• University of Alicante: Information about the pottery museum in English
• Private website about Agost, Valencian