Logbook · 11 places

What to see and do in Quesa

What to see and do in Quesa (La Canal de Navarrés, Valencia): 11 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 3 Nature · 2 Activities · 3 Curiosities

When to go to Quesa: festival calendar

February: Festival of la Reserva Eucarística de Quesa (February 14)
August: Festivities of el Santísimo Cristo de la Salud de Quesa (August)

How far each place is from the centre of Quesa

Towns near Quesa

What to see in Bicorp 4.3 km · 12 places
What to see in Navarrés 4.5 km · 12 places
What to see in Bolbaite 8.5 km · 9 places
What to see in Sumacàrcer 9.9 km · 2 places
What to see in Chella 11 km · 18 places
What to see in Tous 13 km · 3 places
What to see in Millares 13 km · 9 places
What to see in Antella 14 km · 5 places

Spain › Valencian Community › Valencia › La Canal de Navarrés › Quesa

What to see and do in Quesa

Quesa
Village
Quesa is a Spanish-speaking municipality of the Canal de Navarrés, in Valencia, with 691 inhabitants, on the foothills of the Muela de Bicorp as it descends towards the valley of the Júcar, where pools of clear water open up. In its territory the Abrigo de Voro was discovered in 1972, with paintings of Levantine rock art around ten thousand years old, a World Heritage Site since 1998. The Moors, its founders, called it Queixen, “a village lashed by west winds”; after the conquest of 1248 it took the name Quesa. In 1690 an epidemic came close to wiping out the population; the Reserva Eucarística recalls that in 1695 the Blessed Sacrament was returned, after being moved during the plague to neighbouring Bicorp.
Pools of Quesa
Nature
Natural pools of clear water in the municipal district of Quesa, one of the most visited spots in La Canal de Navarrés.
Castle of Quesa
Monument
Quesa Castle is a small fortress of Arab origin, built around the 11th century on a hill near the town that gives it its name, in the province of Valencia. It was abandoned after its conquest by James I. Of the fortification only scattered remains survive: the foundations of the wall, a tower, some outbuildings and the cistern; traces of charcoal indicate that it was burned, and much of its stone was used between the 1950s and 1960s to build roads in a nearby olive grove. The town council also erected a television relay in the centre of the compound. A local legend speaks of a tunnel descending from the castle to the village, through which the Arabs are said to have fled, evading the Christian siege.
Church of San Antonio Abad de Quesa
Monument
The parish church of Quesa, dedicated to Saint Anthony the Abbot, was left unpopulated after the epidemic of 1690, which killed all the residents of the municipality except the García family. The Blessed Sacrament, the sacred vessels and the parish registers, which had been moved to Bicorp during the crisis, were returned to the church on 14 February 1695. In memory of that day, the García family instituted an annual festival of thanksgiving, the fiesta de la Reserva Eucarística, which also sought to attract new families to repopulate Quesa.
Shelter of Voro
Nature
Site of Levantine rock art discovered in 1972 in Quesa, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, with depictions of archers, women and goats from some 10,000 years ago.
1690 Epidemic in Quesa
Curiosity
In 1690 an epidemic almost wiped out the entire population of Quesa, with only the García family surviving, the origin of today's festival of the Reserva Eucarística.
1898 Quesa Meteorite
Curiosity
On 1 August 1898 an octahedrite iron meteorite of some 10.75 kilograms fell in Quesa.
Festival of la Reserva Eucarística de Quesa
Activity
Main festival of Quesa, linked to the epidemic of 1690. The two surviving versions differ over what it commemorates: one connects it with the family that gave shelter to those who repopulated the village during that epidemic, and the other with the return of the religious objects to the church in 1695, once it was over.
Festivities of el Santísimo Cristo de la Salud de Quesa
Activity
Quesa celebrates its patronal festivities in August in honor of the Santísimo Cristo de la Salud, the village's patron saint; it also celebrates the feast of the Reserva Eucarística on the 14th of February, in memory of the 1690 epidemic.
Rock art of Quesa
Curiosity
The Levantine-style cave paintings of Quesa (La Canal de Navarrés) were discovered in 1972 in a rock shelter on the western side of the Grande river, known as the abrigo de Voro in honour of its discoverer, Gómez Bellod. They are examples of Levantine art, evidence of the beliefs of the last hunter-gatherers some 10,000 years ago, with numerous figures in wine-red colour among which archers marching in file, women and goats stand out. Because of their importance, these paintings were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.
Natural pools of Quesa
Nature
Natural pools of crystal-clear water in Quesa, where the land drops from the Muela de Bicorp towards the Júcar valley.