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Moros y Cristianos de Orihuela

Orihuela, El Baix Segura, Alicante

1 Villages · 5 Monuments · 3 Nature · 4 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 4 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

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Moros y Cristianos de Orihuela

Activity · Orihuela, El Baix Segura, Alicante

Image of Orihuela, not of the place itself.

The festivities of Moors and Christians of Orihuela, declared of National Tourist Interest in 2017 (Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional, Spain's national tourism-interest designation for festivities), commemorate every 17 July the Christian reconquest of the city — which sources place between 1242 and 1296 — parading the Gloriosa Enseña del Oriol through its streets, within the procession of the patron saints Justa and Rufina. In former times the battle between Moors and Christians was re-enacted, with the former defeated and led in chains to the cathedral and then to the church of las Santas Justa y Rufina for a commemorative mass, a custom that gradually faded after the 1609 decree expelling the Moriscos. The modern festivities of Moors and Christians were born on 4 May 1974, when five residents created the first five festive groups.

Photo: Zarateman (CC0)

What to see and do in Orihuela