Logbook · 10 places

What to see and do in Monforte del Cid

What to see and do in Monforte del Cid (El Vinalopó Mitjà, Alicante): 10 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 3 Activities · 2 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

When to go to Monforte del Cid: festival calendar

May: Pilgrimage of San Pascual de Monforte del Cid (May 17)
December: Moros y Cristianos de Monforte del Cid (December 5-9)

How far each place is from the centre of Monforte del Cid

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Spain › Valencian Community › Alicante › El Vinalopó Mitjà › Monforte del Cid

What to see and do in Monforte del Cid

Monforte del Cid
Village
Municipality of El Vinalopó Mitjà that in the thirteenth century was called Nompot, appears documented as Monfort around 1355 and in 1916 added the surname del Cid taken from the neighbouring range, after receiving from Philip V in 1706 the title of Loyal and Faithful Town; its thirteenth-century church was raised over a medieval castle and preserves a Romanesque bell tower from the fortress, and every May a pilgrimage climbs to the chapel of San Pascual, built in the seventeenth century over the house where tradition holds the saint lived.
Festivities of Monforte del Cid
Activity
Every May, a pilgrimage climbs from Monforte del Cid up to the Ermita de San Pascual, built in the 17th century on the house where tradition places the saint; at the December Moors and Christians festival, paloma monfortina is served, a local liqueur documented since the 19th century.
Church of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves de Monforte del Cid
Monument
Church of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, in the centre of Monforte del Cid, built in the 13th century on the site of the town's former castle, on a hill 230 metres high. It is one of the oldest churches in the province of Alicante. Its belfry, in Romanesque style, retains the tower of the original fortress and a later Muslim crenellated parapet, evidence of the enclave's successive occupations.
La Morería quarter of Monforte del Cid
Curiosity
The Barrio de La Morería, in Monforte del Cid, is an old medieval quarter of narrow streets that the town's own article compares, in its layout, to Moroccan souks rather than to the usual Castilian streets. Surviving from that period is the Arco de la Morería, at the junction of Calle San Pascual and Calle Juan de la Torre, which in the 14th century separated the Christian area from the Muslim one and still marks the boundary between both sectors of the town today.
Moros y Cristianos de Monforte del Cid
Activity
The Moors and Christians festival of Monforte del Cid is held from 5 to 9 December in honour of the Purísima Concepción, patron saint of the town, and is designated a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Provincial (an official recognition of a festival's tourist interest at provincial level). Its origin lies in the medieval military alarde, which gave way, around the 18th century, to the soldadesca: the first festival in honour of the Purísima was held on 8 December 1769, when the bishop of Orihuela replaced the traditional patron saint, Saint James, with the new devotion, and the festival moved from July to December. The current name has been documented since 1881. After periods of suspension, the festival became established from 1968 onwards, with the founding of the three current comparsas (companies): Moors, Christians and Smugglers. One of its central events is the Embajada ("Embassy"), which each comparsa declaims and performs.
Hermitage of San Pascual de Monforte del Cid
Monument
17th-century hermitage built over the house where, according to tradition, San Pascual Baylón lived; its donation in 1721 came with the condition that a church and a hospital be built there.
Pilgrimage of San Pascual de Monforte del Cid
Activity
A pilgrimage that every May brings thousands of the faithful to the Cova and hermitage of San Pascual of Monforte del Cid to celebrate the saint. It has been held since 1637 every 17 May in the hamlet of Orito, and it draws pilgrims not only from the province but also from Murcia and Albacete. Around the feast a fair of centuries-old tradition is held. The hermitage, from the 17th century, stands on San Pascual street, where the saint lived, and in the cave, the foremost site of popular devotion, pilgrims leave ex-votos in thanks for favours received.
Loyal and Faithful Town of Monforte del Cid
Curiosity
In 1706 Felipe V granted Monforte del Cid the title of Villa Leal y Fiel, a distinction the municipality has kept ever since as part of its historical identity.
From Nompot to Monforte
Historical milestone
In the thirteenth century the place was called Nompot; Alfonso IV ceded it in 1328 and by around 1355 it is already documented as Monfort. It lost the status of villa after the War of the Two Peters and in 1916 it added the surname del Cid, taken from the neighbouring sierra.
Paloma of Monforte
Food and drink
Locally made liqueur documented since the nineteenth century, served very cold and accompanying the festival baking. It has become the town's identifying drink and appears at the bars and in the houses during the Moros i Cristians of December.