The Baker Who Fought Invaders

The chronicles and historians do not agree on whether her name was Magdalena or Manuela, but what is certain is that more than 200 years ago, a woman from Jávea faced Napoleon's occupation with the courage of a soldier.

In 1812, Napoleon's troops invaded Spain. As they swept through Jávea, there were robberies and murders. Few people remained in the town — and one of the only ones who stayed was Magdalena. A woman not widely known in the history of Jávea, she refused to abandon the town and her bakery on Carrer Estret. She continued baking bread for the neighbours who, just like her, resisted the French army.

One day, Bonaparte's military knocked on her door to confiscate their savings. Faced with bayonets and sabers, Magdalena grabbed a long wooden stick with an iron hook — the tool she used to place bread in the oven — and assaulted the troops to defend her earnings, even at the cost of her life. This act of courage likely caused a casualty on the French side. We cannot know for certain, but what we do know is that even then, the women of Jávea were a symbol of the fierce, enduring character of the people of Xàbia.

Magdalena Codina's story is a quiet reminder that the streets of this town hold more history than their whitewashed walls let on. Carrer Estret still stands today — the same narrow lane where she baked, resisted, and refused to yield.