Alpuente
Alpuente is located in the highest part of the La Serrania administrative region, just over an hour from the capital. The village of Alpuente still retains vestiges of its glorious past, housing remains from the Bronze Age, the Iberians, Romans and Arabs. In the 7th century it was incorporated into Al-andalus, and in 1031 it was declared an independent kingdom of Taifas. Such was its economic and political prestige that came to mint its own currency. Alpuente was the capital of a large territory which corresponded to the administrative regions of La Serrania and Rincón de Ademuz, as well as Sinarca and Arcos de las Salinas. It was conquered by El Cid in 1089 and, after being reconquered by James I of Aragon in 1236, Alpuente remained a place of exceptional importance. The Courts of the Kingdom of Valencia gathered in the village in 1319 and 1383. A building of singular beauty in Alpuente is the former mosque, which now houses the Town Hall. It was used for meetings of the Contractual Market and the Arab administration. A magnificent consistorial hall was added in the 16th-century. The best preserved part of the castle is the “Torre de la Veteta”, or keep. The “Los Arcos” medieval aqueduct is located near to the village. It has thirteen arches and was created to supply the village with water and irrigate the local agricultural lands.
Gastronomy:
The local cuisine is similar to that of the rest of the administrative region, and is based on local agricultural and livestock produce. Among the specialties: the sausage and meat conserved in “orza”, “olla del pueblo” (stew), gazpacho, “gachas” (porridge), “migas”, “caldereta”, “puchero”, and different lamb stews.
An excellent white wine, “Gran Túria”, is produced in the area from merseguera grapes. Rosé wines are also produced, as well as the “Castillo de Alpuente” white wine, made with tempranillo grapes. They both hold the Valencia (sub-zone Alto Turia) D.O.
In Alpuente the visitor can also sample local breads and pastries (madeleines, anise rolls, “tortas de azucar”, “rosegones”, etc.), all made by hand.
Places of interest:
In order to discover Alpuente’s monumental wealth, we recommend walking the streets, squares and corners of the village, which has been declared a historical-artistic monument.
Atop the large rock on which the village is built, surrounded by sheer cliffs, are the ruins of Alpuente castle.
Of the original magnificent and impregnable fortress, today we can find remains of Roman and Arabic origin: cisterns, water tanks, waterholes and chambers that appear to be authentic dungeons, stone basins in which gunpowder was crushed, etc. The best preserved element of the castle is the Keep Tower, a masonry construction that, despite repeated demolitions, stills stands around 10 metres tall.
Next to the remains of the castle is the Archpriest Church of Our Lady of Mercy. The church has a single nave, and was constructed between the 13th- and 15th-centuries. Its octagonal bell tower houses the oldest remains, dating from 14th-century.
The Town Hall is located in an old mosque, which serves as the gateway into the village. The upper floor was used for meetings of traders and the Arab administration. A magnificent consistorial hall was added in the 16th-century.
Walking through the medieval urban environment, we find ancestral homes with their façades and coats of arms; ancient ovens (one of which has been installed in the Ethnological Museum), balconies of clear Aragonese influence, and other details that reflect the interest of the inhabitants for the conservation of the village’s heritage.
At a little over 2 kilometres from the village along the Alpuente to La Yesa road lies the “Los Arcos” medieval, 13-arch aqueduct. Its purpose was to supply the village and to water the typical, terraced agricultural land with water from the “Nueva” and “Marimacho” springs.
Festivities:
Different festivities are celebrated throughout the year in Alpuente. The most important is the celebration of the festivities in honour of Our Lady of Consolation and Saint Blaise. They are held every three years in the months of May and August. On the Thursday of the third week of May, a pilgrimage is held during which the statue of Saint Blaise is carried to Corcolilla, and the statue of Our Lady of Consolation to Alpuente, where it remains until the third week of August. According to tradition, the arrival of the Virgin in the village, as well as her return to Corcolilla, is accompanied by children reciting “los dichos” and dressed in special outfits. They are “angels”, children aged between five and eight years old, wearing blue skirts, white shirts, various ribbons and ornaments and curled paper wings and feathers. A very similar act can be found in Algemesí and in other areas of the Mediterranean, during which children dress up in the same manner during ceremonies involving the transition from childhood to adolescence.
