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    Provided by: ORIHUELATURÍSTICA

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Celebration of Reconquest of Moors & Christians

Celebration of Reconquest of Moors & Christians

The celebration of the Reconquest of Orihuela has a secular tradition, which has been documented for more than 600 years, and it is for this reason that the Moors and Christians Festival in its present form, founded in 1974, revolves around this event and this celebration so that they have become inextricably linked. The main day of the Festival is the 17th July, the day of Saints Justa and Rufina, to whose intervention in the exploits of la Armengola is attributed in popular tradition the definitive conquest of the Muslim fortress that dominated the city. The Moors and Christians Festival is engraved on the soul of Orihuela. The month of July has become the most special month of the year. A month to promote Orihuela’s culture, traditions and symbols.
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Holy Week

Holy Week

Designated as an International Tourist Interest event, Holy Week in Orihuela is one of the oldest religious and cultural celebrations in the southeastern region of Spain. Easter in Orihuela is renowned not only for its monuments, landscapes, traditions, and Mediterranean light but also for its rich history and artistic qualities. Art and passion intertwine during this special week, engaging all five senses: the vibrant colors of spring, the aroma of incense, the sound of drums playing the traditional Easter hymn "Canto de la Pasión," and the taste of local delicacies. Thousands of people come together to appreciate the "Very Noble, Loyal, and Forever Faithful City of Orihuela," which serves as a symbol of Mediterranean charm, blending seamlessly with the warmth and hospitality of the local residents.
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Diocesan College Santo Domingo

Diocesan College Santo Domingo

This building is composed of a church, convent and university, all completed at different times. On the exterior, there are two striking renaissance doorways, featuring the founder's family coat of arms and the shield of the Dominican Order. The Baroque entrance to the University shows an allegorical figure representing wisdom. Human figures adorn the Baroque tower. Inside are two magnificent cloisters, the Renaissance one in the convent and the University own Baroque example. The church is a renaissance building with later Baroque additions. An interesting feature in the Renaissance doorway leading to the sacristy and refectory, dating from the late 16th Century with a fascinating base covered in Vatican tiling from the 18th Century.
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Orihuela Cathedral

Orihuela Cathedral

Built on the remains of the old Moorish mosque, the building started out as a Parish Church, ascending in importance, as Archiprestal (1281), Collegiate (1413) and finally becoming a Cathedral in 1510. Building started at the end of the 13th Century. It is of Levantine Gothic Style, with three naves and a gallery, a transept transformed by Pere Compte at the beginning of the 16th Century and side chapels between the buttresses. Of note inside is the ironwork, the Baroque organ, the work of Jacinto Perales and the choir stalls, made by Juan Bautista Borja and Tomás Llorens (1716-1718). The sacristy is home to the relics cabinet and cupboard, the work of José Ganga (1732-1734), holding diverse relics within a carved bust. On the outside, of note in the Tower, built between the late 13th Century and the mid-14th Century, the same as the three main gateways, The Puerta de Cadenas (14th Century), Puerta de Loreto (15th Century) and finally, the Portada de la Anunciación, completed by Juan Inglés in 1558.
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Episcopal Palace of Orihuela

Episcopal Palace of Orihuela

Built on the land occupied earlier by the Corpus Christi hospital, one of the city's medieval hospitals. In 1558 the city exchanged plots with Archishop Esteban Almeyda and the hospital was relocated to the Parish of Santiago. The building may have started in the 16th Century, soon after the establishment of the Orihuela Bishopric. It underwent profound changes in the 18th Century under the reigns of Bishops José Flores Ososrio and Pedro Albornoa Tapia. In the mid-20th century, it lost its original functions, was restored at the beginning of the 21st Century and is currently home to the Diocese Museum of Sacred Art. At the back, facing the river, there is a gallery with semi-circular arches. Inside, another striking feature is the cloister with heraldic decoration, the main staircase of Alicante marble and the dome built on an octagonal base, with exterior cobalt blue glazed tiles.
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Town Wall Museum

Town Wall Museum

The Wall Museum is located in the basement of the "Casa del Paso" building, on the Salesas Campus of the Miguel Hernández University. It also houses an interesting and well organised archaeological site, set up after various stages of excavation between 1998 and 2000. Significant architectural heritage sites are well conserved: The town wall, four watchtowers dating back to the Almohad era (Designated Cultural sites since 14/12/1998), Arab baths, Islamic and early medieval streets and homes, a Gothic palace and architectural remains of the Casa del Paso (17th Century). Furthermore, remains dating back from the second half of the 12th Century to the 20th Century have been recovered. During the visit, around the perimeter path and glazed walkways, there is also a variety of complementary resources to help interpret the findings, such as display panels, scale models, signposts, display cases and a video.
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Royal Salesian Monastery

Royal Salesian Monastery

It was built on a site of a Jesus college. It was a foundation, set up by clerics from Madrid's Royal Monastery (Monasterio de la Visitación), under the patronage of the princes Carlos María Isidro de Borbón and his wife, María de Asís de Braganza y Borbón. The monastery was built in neoclassical style, between 1826 and 1832. On the outside, the facade is made from black and red marble, featuring the shields of Spain and Portugal, Saint Charles Borromeo, Saint Jane of Chantal and Saint Francis of Assisi. Inside the church, built in the shape of a Latin cross, there is an interesting collection of religious paintings by the Court painter, Vicente López and his school (Valencia)
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Church of the Santas Justa y Rufina

Church of the Santas Justa y Rufina

Built upon the remains of a mosque, this church is dedicated to the city's patron saints, whose martyrdom coincides with the traditional date of the city's reconquest, believed to have occurred on July 17, 1243. The structure is a single-nave Gothic temple, featuring side chapels between buttresses that date back to the 14th and 15th centuries. The presbytery and the side doorway, known as the Anunciación, are designed in Renaissance style. Alongside the nave, the Baroque Communion Chapel can be found. The main facade is adorned with a grand doorway, also in Baroque style, which was crafted by Antonio Villanueva and Cristóbal Sánchez. Particular attention should be given to the Gothic-style bell tower, which is remarkably slender and likely completed in the mid-15th century. The tower features gargoyle-shaped drains in its corners and sculptures of mythical beasts. Additionally, the clock, commissioned by the town council in 1439, is of historical interest.
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Regional Archaeological Museum San Juan de Dios

Regional Archaeological Museum San Juan de Dios

The Orihuela Archaeology Museum has its origins in the former Santo Domingo Museum of Antiquities, established in 1902 by Jesuit priest Julio Furgús, who donated numerous pieces. Created by the Orihuela Town Council, the museum has been housed in various locations, including the Palacio de Teodomiro, the Municipal Hospital, the Rubalcaba Palace, and since 1997, its current location at the Church of San Juan de Dios, which was built in the mid-18th century. The museum's collection features artefacts that span a broad range of periods, from the Paleolithic era to the early 19th century. The majority of the items were excavated or discovered in the town and its surrounding areas, often through the museum's own investigations. The same building also houses the Exhibition Hall, formerly the men's ward of the hospital. This spacious, rectangular room with barrel-vaulted ceilings hosts temporary exhibitions and various cultural events.
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Parish Church of Santiago

Parish Church of Santiago

Constructed on the site of a former mosque from the Islamic city, this church dates back to between 1402 and 1417, according to the oldest documented evidence. Featuring a single nave design and side chapels nestled between buttresses, the original Gothic structure has undergone significant modifications due to restorations and extensions carried out between the 16th and 18th centuries. Notable elements within the church include a Renaissance presbyter, shaped like a triumphal arch, and the chapel dedicated to the Holy Family (1765-1766), which showcases the artistic influence of sculptor Francisco Salzillo. The main entrance of the church, adorned with the shield of the Catholic Monarchs at its peak, is in the Isabelline Gothic style. In contrast, the adjoining communion chapel exhibits a more Baroque aesthetic, featuring an entrance constructed between 1726 and 1735.
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Sanctuary of Our Lady of Monserrate

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Monserrate

According to tradition, this church was constructed on the site of the former Gothic Parish of Saint Julian after the image of the Virgin Mary was unearthed following the city's recapture from Moorish rule. The building is a Baroque temple designed in the shape of a Latin cross, with a Neoclassical facade displaying the anagram of Our Lady of Monserrate. Inside, the Hallazgo chapel contains a cave where the image of the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared. Above this site, the old niche is now dedicated to the Cristo de la Buena Muerte. The high altar is home to the niche containing the Virgin of Monserrate, the city's patron saint.
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San Isidro's Murals — An Urban Museum

San Isidro's Murals — An Urban Museum

In may 1976, a great wave arrived in Orihuela, coming from many parts of the world this was the tribute to Miguel Hernández. An actual "cultural spring" bloomed in the plazas and streets of the city, particularly in Barrio San Isidro, reviving the life and the work of the poet. To that historic birthplace came painters, writers and musicians, set in the context of difficult times and uncertain transition, reclaiming the freedom that had been absent from their lives. It was an event that still remains recorded in collective memory, not only of the passionate Hernández devotees, but of everyone who defended democratic freedom. At that time of hope, doubt and anxiety, culture elevated the spirit of the people. More than thirty five years passed and to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the poet's death, on the 28th March, 2012, the Culture Department of Orihuela Ayuntamiento, in collaboration with many involved in the cultural life of Orihuela, undertook the task of restoring the murals in Barrio San Isidro; Once again covering the walls of the houses with murals with echoes of profound cultural and political significance. More than a hundred painters took part in this collaborative project, telling their stories on 43 walls, including some who were there in 1976 (Pepe Azorín, Nicasio Cañaveras and Joan Castejon), people from the Barrio San Isidro, primary and secondary teachers and their pupils, a group of disabled people; a true exercise in citizen participation. The project involved people working together with paintbrushes and rollers to essentially recreate the life and work of Miguel Hernández who died defending freedom and his belief in a just world. The result can be viewed on the streets of Camino Viejo de Oriolet, Chopo, Acacia, Tomillo, San Isidro Labrador, Sauce, Algarrobo and Almendro. Here you will find an open air gallery and museum, decorated with 53 murals of many colours and the green and ochre of the Sierra de Orihuela. You are invited to take this cultural and artistic journey through Barrio San Isidro, retracing the footsteps of the poet Miguel Hernández.
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