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Moros y Cristianos de Alcoi

Alcoi/Alcoy, L'Alcoià, Alicante

1 Villages · 9 Monuments · 3 Nature · 2 Activities · 2 Curiosities · 5 Historical milestones · 2 Food and drink

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Moros y Cristianos de Alcoi

Activity · Alcoi/Alcoy, L'Alcoià, Alicante

Moros y Cristianos de Alcoi

A festival of Alcoy depicting the struggle between the Muslim and Christian sides, declared of Interés Turístico Internacional (Spain's highest official tourism designation) since 1980 and intangible Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) since 2019. Tradition places its origin in the battle of Alcoy of 1276, in which the city's Christian inhabitants, aided by around 200 knights from various comarcas, faced the Benimerin troops of the chieftain Al-Azraq; according to legend, at the decisive moment Saint George appeared on horseback above the walls, and since then he has been the city's patron saint, celebrated on 23 April. Recent research qualifies this chronology and places the actual clash on 5 May of that year. The earliest references to the festival date from 1511, and in 1552 the use of the arquebus was incorporated.

en torno al 23 de abril

Photo: Pacodonderis (CC BY-SA 4.0)

What to see and do in Alcoi/Alcoy