Játiva, historic city in the province of Valencia, eastern Spain. It is located on the Albaida River at the foot of the Monte Bernisa, in a position overlooking the lower Júcar Valley.
Játiva (Spanish Xátiva) lies on the main railroad line from Valencia to Alicante and functions primarily as a marketplace and processing point for the products of the rich agricultural region around it. The city is surrounded by walls, and its narrow, crooked streets have a distinctly medieval character. Several of Játiva's architectural treasures still stand, including the collegiate church of San Feliú, constructed in the 15th century and formerly the city's cathedral. A castle overlooking the town also dates back to the 15th century, although the site on which it stands was fortified as early as the Iberian epoch, which began about 1000 BC. This long and narrow fortress offers a good example of the Spanish-Moorish style in architecture. It has held a number of famous prisoners, including Cesare Borgia, the Italian soldier, politician, and ecclesiastic.
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