Logbook · 31 places

Moros y Cristianos de Villena

Villena, L'Alt Vinalopó, Alicante

1 Villages · 10 Monuments · 4 Nature · 4 Activities · 6 Curiosities · 4 Historical milestones · 2 Food and drink

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Moros y Cristianos de Villena

Activity · Villena, L'Alt Vinalopó, Alicante

The Moors and Christians festival of Villena is celebrated from 5 to 9 September in honour of the Virgen de las Virtudes, patroness of the city, and is declared a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional (Spain's national tourist-interest festival designation); around fifteen thousand festeros take part, divided into fourteen comparsas, seven on the Moorish side and seven on the Christian side. Its origins go back to 1474, when the Virgen was proclaimed patroness, and to 1490, the year the sanctuary where she is venerated was built, five kilometres from the city. The military element, with the Entrada parade, was added in the 17th century, and the historical re-enactment of Moors and Christians, with embassies written between 1810 and 1815, was not added until the first third of the 19th century. A local peculiarity is that the figure of Mahoma is kept during the embassies.

5-9 de septiembre

Photo: Juan Estevan Sáez (Public domain)

What to see and do in Villena