Village
Anna is a municipality of 2,600 inhabitants (INE 2025) in the Canal de Navarrés, in Valencia, whose territory preserves remains from the Upper Palaeolithic, a Mesolithic-Neolithic site beneath the waters of its lake, and several Roman settlements, among them the villa of La Moleta. On 22 September 1244 James I granted the town to the Order of Santiago; after the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609, it was resettled by Christians from Enguera and elsewhere. Its name comes from the Arabic Yanna, orchard or garden. The castle-palace of Muslim origin, with a courtyard, stables and Arab halls, was the seat of the lineage to which Philip III granted the county of Anna in 1604, in force until 1762. In its territory the río Albufera forms three waterfalls, and thermal waters already used in Roman times are exploited.
Activity
Anna celebrates its patron saint, San Antonio Abad, in the third week of January, and the Inmaculada Concepción as its patron saint; its main festival is that of the Santo Cristo de la Providencia, from 13 to 22 September, with Moors and Christians.
Monument
Remains of the old castle of Anna, of which only very indistinct traces survive. The first documented mention dates from 1244, when King James I gave the town of Anna together with its castle to the Order of Santiago; over the centuries, the fortress was the scene of various conflicts between Christian monarchs.
Nature
Lake of Anna (La Canal de Navarrés, Valencia), located one kilometre southwest of the village, at 195 metres of altitude, and one of the comarca's main natural attractions. It formed naturally and, until clean-up works in the early 20th century, was a marshy area, muddy and hard to cross. It measures about 180 metres from east to west and 300 from north to south, with an average depth of 5 metres, and is surrounded by willows and poplars that shade visitors in summer. Its waters come from natural springs and artesian wells that surface in a small depression cutting through the water table of the area, through springs locally called ullals. Together with the Gorgo de la Escalera and the Fuente Negra, it is one of the most touristic spots in the Valencian Community.
Nature
Natural bathing spot in Anna, one of the most popular sites in the comarca of la Canal de Navarrés. Here the river has carved out a large canyon of deep, crystal-clear water, reached by a staircase of 136 steps that gives the place its name. A waterfall known as El Salto pours water into a pool; because little sunlight reaches the gorge, its waters are among the coldest in Anna. In the past, the flow of the gorgo even powered a small hydroelectric plant.
Monument
Castle-palace of Muslim origin in Anna, converted into a heritage interpretation centre, with old stables, a courtyard and Arab rooms. It stands on a castle already existing in the 12th century, whose first documentary reference dates from 1244, when James I of Aragon granted the towns of Anna and Enguera to the Order of Santiago. In 1604 Philip III made Anna a county and gave the town to Fernando Pujades de Borja, first count of Cervellón, whose family converted the old castle into a habitable residence, in Baroque style, with a main wing facing the Alameda and a courtyard with a central fountain. It has been declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) since 2001 and preserves beside it the chapel of Santa Ana, overlooking the Sellent river.
Curiosity
The thermal waters of Anna have been used since Roman times and today still supply a spa devoted to rest and wellbeing.
Nature
Route taking in the Gorgo Gaspar, the Cascada Vikinga and El Salto, three waterfalls formed by the River Albufera in the municipal district of Anna.
Activity
Festivities of Anna in honour of San Antonio Abad, patron saint of the municipality, held during the third week of January, around the 16th and 17th. On Saturday, blessed loaves and small gifts are given out among the festivity's organisers, and at night a bonfire is lit in the church square. On Sunday the Cabalgata del Abanderado takes place, a horseback procession that hands out sweets and toys, along with the traditional Tirá, the throwing of objects and toys by the festivity's mayordomos.
Activity
Anna's Fiestas de las Eras, in early August, combine gastronomy, music and children's activities with religious events, and close on the 3rd of August with the day dedicated to the Santísimo Cristo de la Providencia.
Activity
Anna's patronal festivities in honor of the Santo Cristo de la Providencia are held from the 13th to the 22nd of September, with the bringing down and taking back up of the image from its hermitage, Moors and Christians, bulls and fireworks.
Historical milestone
Felipe III created the county of Anna in 1604 in favour of Fernando Pujades y Borja. The title gave its name to the lineage that governed the villa from the palace-castle until Anna was incorporated into the Crown in 1762 and seigneurial vassalage ceased.
Historical milestone
In 1332 the Muslim residents of Anna rose against the commander of the villa over the seizures of property he had ordered. The episode illustrates the tension between the Mudéjar population and the Christian lords in La Canal during the 14th century.