Bocairent history

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An oil painting representing the Crucifixion hangs on the left and on either side oil paintings of Saint Eloy and Saint Barbara. Once we have visited the Hermitage of Saint John , we head towards Pont de Darrere la Villa, one of the longest standing bridges of Bocairent which already in 1563 the famous historian Viciano described as the largest and highest bridge of the reign. It consists in a single span arch and is made of masonry stone, its sturdy construction and long standing making it a monumental attraction. The layout of the stone, aligned horizontally and forming tall shapes is worth highlighting. Once we cross the bridge we go up a stony path that takes us to the Convent of Saint Bernadine and as we return from this we experience an overhead view of the medieval quarter and the Moorish orchards, which grow from the base of the gully and grow up the containing walls until reaching the base of the houses.

It is here that we end our first route, returning through the Calle Mosen Hilario where we are able to see a magnificent view of ´Les Covetes dels Moros´, (The Moorish Caverns), the 'Ermita del Santo Cristo' (the Hermitage of Christ), the bridge with this same name, the ´Coves Rotges´ (Red Caves) and the gully 'El Barranc de la Fos'. From here, walking upwards, we reach the starting point.

Itinerary through the medieval quarters (2)

Taking off from the Town Hall Square, we take the Arch on our second route.
Originally this was a single span, masonry arch that was used as an aqueduct to carry the flow of the water from the Villa to the houses, but at the beginning of this century it was restyled and given its current Moorish style. If we look back at this point, we see a pretty panoramic view of the square with its Church and the belfry in the background. Once we cross the Arch and turning to the left, we go up a steep slope, commonly known as the 'New Barrier' and enter the medieval quarter.

In medieval times, one of the old access doors to the district was located in this very place, although after the Moslem era it was known as the 'Door to the Villa'.
We go up this slope until reaching the square of 'Saint Thomas of Villanueva', previously known as 'Plaza de la Almoina' (Square of Alms) because it was where alms were collected for the most forsaken. In one of the houses we can see a tiled altarpiece that gives credit to the saint having lived there in 1546 and on one side of this square we can also see one of the many narrow dead ends that characterize the old quarter.

Following our route along a slight widening of this echeloned street we reach the 'Érmita de la Mare de Déu dels Desampartas' (the Hermitage of the Mother of the Forsaken).

Ermita Virgen de los Desamparados

The exact date it was built is unknown, but during its restoration in 1985, an inscription was found that read "This reformed in 1802". This hermitage is an original construction in terms o its layout on the irregular ground, the Hermitage being on the second floor of the building.

The façade consists of a belfry. It has a square floor and is presided by an image of the Virgin on a magnificent wooden altarpiece, dating back to 1882. The Virgin's feast is celebrated on the second Sunday of may, with mass being held and a procession taking place in her honor, followed by a novena and hymns being sung. Once we have visited the hermitage, we continue along the same street until we reach the house where Saint John of

Ribera lodged and to the right we take a flight of steps which lead to the fountain 'Font de L'Aljubet'.

From here we can once again experience the disproportionate ground levels. The Street l'Aljub takes its name from the age-old medieval cistern excavated from the rock and used to harness the water from 'Les Solanetes' in the outskirts of the villa to the interior. Here we conclude our itinerary, but before turning should proceed down the alleyway on our left that takes us further into the medieval quarter. The area is deteriorated, but offers an important historical insight. We see the remains of old entry passages dug into the rock walls. The lintel and the jambs are sustained by slabs and it is likely that these were blocked up when new entry points to the urban precinct were made available. The numerous caves excavated on the wall also draw our attention.

Amongst the romantic and plentiful orchards we come to a path which we can take along the bridge 'Pont d'Arrere de la Villa', towards the Convent of Saint Bernadine or to the right, passing the cave ´Cova d'Engomar'.

At the end of this route we can see the remains of the wall that surrounded the urban precinct and protected the ´Castillo de Bekirent' (Castle of Bekirent) and although this final stretch may have proved hard going, there is no doubt that the beauty and interest it provides compensates

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