Village
Penàguila is a municipality of the Alcoià, in the north of Alicante, at the foot of the sierra de Penáguila, on the slopes of the sierra de Aitana. Its original name, Benaguila, is of Muslim origin like those of the neighbouring towns; it is documented in 1258, when James I granted the place to Jimeno Pérez de Orís, and in 1278 Peter III granted it a settlement charter. Unlike other places in the area, its population was mostly Christian, so the 1609 expulsion of the Moriscos did not cause it serious harm: of the 200 houses before the expulsion, 145 remained. It belonged to the Gobernación of Játiva until 1707 and afterwards to the Corregimiento of Alcoy, until becoming part of Alicante in 1833. It preserves a historic botanical garden with cedars, pines and magnolias, among the most singular in the comarca.
Activity
The patronal festivities of Penàguila are celebrated in honour of the Virgen del Patrocinio, which according to tradition arrived in the village on 15 May 1644 brought by captain Francisco Fenollar and has been the municipality's patroness since 1693. They begin on 19 August with the girà de la Virgen and continue during the so-called week of the huità, with cultural and recreational activities, open-air dances, a day devoted to preparing paella and the entrada de moros y cristianos, with performances through the streets of the village.
Monument
Remains of the castle of Penàguila, originally from the 8th century with reforms from the Christian period. It stands on a steep hill on the western slope of the Sierra de Aitana; the Arab fortress was built over Roman remains and was reformed by the Christians during the 14th and 16th centuries. It has an irregular layout adapted to the terrain, with two defensive enclosures: the main one preserves, at its highest point, a square tower, a barrel-vaulted chamber and a rectangular cistern, while of the outer enclosure only wall remains and the bases of square towers survive, built in rammed earth over masonry. It has been declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) since 5 June 2001.
Monument
Church of the Assumption of Penàguila, built in 1790 with extensions between 1802 and 1805 promoted by archbishop Joaquín Company y Soler, a native of the village, under the direction of the architect Antonio Cabrera. In neoclassical style, it has a Latin-cross floor plan with three naves covered by barrel vaults and a dome over the crossing. It houses the chapel of Our Lady of Patronage, patron saint of the municipality since 1693.
Monument
Remains of the medieval wall of Penàguila, of Christian military architecture from the late 13th and early 14th centuries, of which remains of towers and gateways survive. The main access to the village was through the Portalet, while on the eastern side, next to Carrer del Mar, the Torre Vernet rises to the northeast, of which only a fragment remains. Over the centuries much of the layout has become blurred and absorbed by houses, though some remains are still visible from the street.
Monument
The Botanical Garden of Penàguila, also known as the Jardí de Santos, was created in the second half of the 19th century by Joaquín Rico y Soler, a landowner of the village, on an estate his family had owned since the late 18th century. It was private property until 1987, when it became municipal. Its paths and viewpoints include a maze and a pond, and among its most valuable species are yews, cedars of Lebanon, Spanish firs and magnolias, making it one of the most distinctive green spaces in the comarca of L'Alcoià.
Nature
The Aladrach ravine, in the municipality of Penàguila (L'Alcoià), hosts the Ruta Fitoclimática, an environmental interpretation trail designed to raise awareness of the effects of climate change on the vegetation of the area. The route combines nature and scientific outreach on how climate shapes the plant species that grow there.
Activity
Patronal festivities of Penàguila in honour of Our Lady of Patronage, which begin on 19 August, with performances of Moors and Christians. The Virgin has been the village's patron saint since 1693; local tradition tells that Francisco Fenollar, a captain in the service of Philip IV and a native of Penàguila, rescued her image from Turkish hands in Naples and brought it to the village on 15 May 1644. The events include the procession called “la girà”, a week of festivities known as “la huità”, and popular dances and paellas in addition to the performance of Moors and Christians.
Historical milestone
Penàguila and its hamlets lost in 1609 most of their Morisco residents, who worked the terraces of the Aitana slope. The seigneury resettled the empty houses by means of charters of new settlement, but the town never recovered the size it had had.
Food and drink
Cold preparation of roasted dried pepper, shredded salt cod or capellán, garlic and olive oil, all crumbled by hand. It was born as a use for the dryland larder and is eaten spread on bread, on its own or accompanying boiled potato.