Village
Canals is a Valencian municipality in the Costera comarca, situated in the valley of Montesa between the sierra Grossa and the serra Plana, on the left bank of the río Cáñoles. Its founding is estimated to date from between 1240 and 1250; it was a prosperous place under Muslim rule thanks to the fertile land irrigated by the Cáñoles and the río de los Santos, and to the irrigation channels (canals) that gave it its name. In the barrio of La Torre, a former independent village that still keeps its own district council, Alfonso de Borja was born on 31 December 1378, elected pope in 1455 under the name Callixtus III; it preserves remains of the tower and walls linked to that family. It forms a conurbation with neighbouring Alcúdia de Crespins and also includes the hamlet of Ayacor. It now has 13,746 inhabitants.
Activity
The festivals of Sant Antoni Abat in Canals are held on 16, 17 and 18 January. On the central day, what is billed as the largest bonfire in the world is burned. On the day of els parells, the organisers hand out thousands of toys mounted on horses throughout the town, while in the procession of 17 January the residents recite the traditional vítol, chanted in chorus by those present. Among the characters of the festival, the Bandera stands out, representing San Antonio, handing out toys from a donkey and dressed in finery for the closing events. The celebrations end with a baked rice dinner.
Monument
Complex of the tower and walls of Canals linked to the Borja family, in the Valencian comarca of La Costera, also known as the Torreta de Canals and declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection). The tower, square in plan, dates from the 13th century, in the Muslim period; after the Reconquest it stood abandoned until, in the 14th century, a Gothic palace of the Borja family, holders of the Barony of la Torre, was built over it and part of the wall, and it was there that Pope Callixtus III was born. In 1506 it was sold, together with the barony, to the town council of Játiva, which kept it through successive ruin and restoration, until in 1847 it was sold to private owners. Finally the Canals town council acquired the tower and restored it in 1995, removing the buildings attached to it.
Activity
Patronal feast of Canals in honour of San Antonio Abad, held from 16 to 18 January and famous for its bonfire, considered by the townspeople themselves to be the largest in the world. Notable features are the tradition dels parells, in which the organisers of the feast hand out thousands of toys on horseback through the streets of the town, and the vítol, a chant in honour of the patron saint taken up by those attending. According to local tradition, the feast dates back to an earthquake that devastated the neighbouring villages without causing damage in Canals, protected by San Antonio; the celebration closes with a communal dinner of baked rice.
Monument
17th-century parish church of Canals, with Churrigueresque decoration in its interior.
Monument
The Oratory of the Borja, also called the church of la Torre, stands in Canals (La Costera, Valencia), opposite the Tower of the Borja, and originally formed part of the family's palace complex. It is an early Valencian Gothic building, probably from the 13th century and remodelled on various occasions; its original dedication was to the Holy Cross. It consists of a single rectangular nave, a flat apse and walls of stone and mortar, with a four-sided roof supported by two diaphragm arches. It preserves a medieval panel of the Last Judgement attributed to the Master of Borbotó; the Borja coat of arms was lost following an 1878 intervention, and the original main altarpiece, with a panel that tradition identifies with the Holy Cross given by Callixtus III, disappeared during the Civil War.
Monument
Building from 1931 in Canals, with paintings depicting the municipality as it was at the time. It was built with money from a Christmas lottery jackpot won in Canals, and its halls preserve large paintings reflecting what the village looked like in those 1930s. Today it houses the headquarters of the Cooperativa Agrícola San Antonio Abad and also operates as a bar-restaurant.
Monument
Church in the hamlet of Ayacor, in Canals, whose bell tower formerly served as a communication tower between castles. It was part of a surveillance and communication network using mirrors that linked the castle of Xàtiva with that of Sant Rafel, a function fulfilled by the bell tower of this parish church dedicated to San Jaime.
Nature
Monumental shade plane tree in Canals, planted in 1907, listed among the municipality's notable natural features and known locally as la Lloca, part of its outstanding arboreal heritage.
Curiosity
Ricardo Tormo Blaya (Ayacor, Canals, 1952 - Valencia, 1998) was a motorcycle racer, world champion in the 50cc class on two occasions: in 1978 with Bultaco and in 1981 with Motul-Bultaco, with five and six wins respectively. In 1984 he suffered a serious accident while testing an 80cc Derbi, colliding with a car at 160 km/h and being thrown more than forty metres, which put an end to his sporting career. He died in 1998 at the age of 46, a victim of leukaemia detected two years earlier. In his memory the Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit was inaugurated, a venue for rounds of the Motorcycling World Championship.
Activity
The September fair of Canals, in the Costera district (Valencia), is held on the second weekend of that month. Highlights include the popular paellas, the youth area, the fancy-dress party and the parade of Moors and Christians.
Historical milestone
Alfonso de Borja was born on 31 December 1378 at the Torre de Canals, then a farmstead of the municipal district. A jurist and bishop of Valencia, he was elected pope in 1455 under the name Calixto III and opened the Roman path of the Borja family.