Torreblanca; source of a crusade and modern day capital of street art.

09/08/2021
Posted in Noticias
09/08/2021

The town owes its name to the owner of an ancient defensive tower.


A church that was a fortress, a robbery that started a crusade, an ancient fishing village transformed into a tourist destination, hectars and hectars of wetland deignated a natural park….and 21st century graffiti. Torreblanca is all this and much more besides.
The name of the town is derived from one of the defensive towers situated in the area. It belonged to the ancient dominion of the mediaeval castle of Miravet, the owner of which was Blanca de Cardona, granddaughter of King Juan II of Aragon and, therefore, a descendant of Jaime I. Today this tower is known as The Marquis Tower.
It is located between Torreblanca village and the coast about two kilometres from the centre. It has a rectangular floor plan with four floors, a matacan on the main facade, a round sentry box in the South Eastern corner and is topped by battlements.
It is believed to have been used for defensive purposes such as guarding the ancient church of San Francisco which was the parochial temple of Torreblanca until the construction of the actual church of Saint Bartholomew in the 18th century.

Various architectural elements such as the abundance of arrow slits and the thickness of its walls support the idea that it was part of a defence and vigilance system.
The reason such an abundance of defensive measures were necessary is that the area was for long periods of time subjected to raids by the Berber Pirates. During one of these raids the pirates attacked the Church of San Francisco, destroying the interior and stealing many religious objects such as the monstrance and the consecrated host.

   
This raid occurred in 1397 and provoked a revenge attack by christian troops sent by King Martin I, the Humane with the blessing of Pope Benedict XIII; a full blown crusade.
The christian troops attacked the city of Teledic, the pirates stronghold, recovering the stolen objects and spending two days pillaging the city as was the custom during wartime in those days.
The church of San Francisco is located in the Calvary area and is used today as a setting for various cultural activities.
The theft of the Custody is depicted in a painting by Jose Orient ( 17th century) which is preserved in the Church of St Bartholomew which is, in turn, decorated with interesting frescoes by Jose Oliet and Josep Ferrer.

     
Historically, the main activity of Torreblanca was fishing which was concentrated in its coastal town of Torrenostra. Today fishing has given way to a flourishing and pleasant tourist enclave by the sea around four kilometres from the main town of Torreblanca and a stones throw from the El Prat Natural Park.
In the Natural Park one can go cycling ( there is a centre of the Valencian Community BTT network) hiking and birdwatching as birds seem to find it a favourable environment despite its proximity to urbanized areas. There is an information centre in the park with details of all available activities.

Street Art 
Beyond its history , heritage and nature, Torreblanca is also a town of the 21st century and this can be seen in its streets where an increasingly important collection of graffiti can be found. This type of urban art as been developing in the town since 2015 as part of the Citric Festival which has attracted many visitors to view the spectacular on the walls. ( the owners allow artists the use of their walls). It is an activity in which individuals, organizers and artists participate and has the collaboration of MIAU (Unfinished Museum of Urban Art) of Fanzara which guarantees a quality and timelessness of the works.
There are currently 34 murals distributed throughout the centre of Torreblanca which provide a unique perspective of this urban artistic expression so typical of the first years of the 21st century.
Local, national and international artists participate and develop their artistic ideas within the stated main objective of the contest; to create murals “ mostly colourful, lively and striking with great appeal and visual impact that encourages the viewer to reflection or contemplation.”
Thus, Torreblanca is becoming an essential destination for lovers of street art.
 
For more tourist information and Torreblanca activities click here.

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