Village
Bocairent is a municipality of the district of the Vall d'Albaida, in the province of Valencia, on the north-western slope of the sierra de Mariola, famous for the Covetes dels Moros and its medieval historic centre. The district preserves numerous prehistoric sites, from Palaeolithic caves to Iberian settlements, among them that of the Galbis hill, where an Iberian lion was found. The Romans founded the town of Bucarius, and the present-day settlement arose in Muslim times with Berber tribes of the Massara, when the geographer al-Idrisi named the place Bukayrān; it belonged to the taifas of Denia and later of Zaragoza. The castle, key to the defence of the taifa, stood where the parish of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was later built. It has 4,130 inhabitants (INE 2025).
Monument
Group of artificial caves cut into the rock with some fifty access windows, dated to the 10th and 11th centuries, which according to archaeological research served as secure granaries in the Andalusi period.
Monument
Ethnographic museum in Bocairent with a collection devoted to the comarca's traditional textile and farming industries.
Nature
The historic centre of Bocairent sits, terraced, on a hill on the north-western slope of the Sierra Mariola, in the comarca of the Vall d'Albaida. It is made up of a network of steep, winding, stepped streets that adapt to the sharp gradient of the terrain, and it occupies the upper part of the hill, organised into several quarters: San Pedro, San Juan, Virgen de Agosto and Virgen de los Desamparados. The most visible building of the ensemble is the Church of the Assumption, built in 1516 in Gothic style and later transformed with Baroque alterations.
Activity
The festivities of Sant Blai in Bocairent, with Moors and Christians parades and processions, are held on the first weekend of February; traditionally they took place from the 1st to the 5th of that month, but in 2014 a popular vote approved moving them to the nearest weekend.
Monument
The church of Our Lady of the Assumption, the most visible symbol of Bocairent, was built in 1516 on the site of the old Andalusi alcázar. Originally built in Gothic style, it was later adapted to the Baroque aesthetic. It preserves works by Juan de Juanes, José Segrelles and Joaquín Sorolla, a 15th-century processional cross and a baptismal font of the same period, an old public fountain carved in stone on a Gothic base. Its tower is one of the most recognisable features of the old town.
Monument
Three hermitages in Bocairent dedicated to Saint John, Our Lady of August and Our Lady of the Forsaken, located in the medieval quarter of the town. That of Saint John is the oldest of the three: it was built on the site of the town's old mosque.
Monument
An old 17th-century snow store in Bocairent, located north of the old town, now converted into an interpretation centre. It was used as a snow well until the 20th century, as part of the snow trade that had economic importance in the area, and today houses an exhibition on that trade.
Nature
The Alto de Mariola is a 1,158-metre peak located on the north-western slope of the Sierra de Mariola, in the municipality of Bocairent. In its surroundings stands the Torre de Mariola, a watchtower from the Islamic medieval period, probably from the 11th century, which can be climbed with relative ease from a nearby spring, from where there are views of the surroundings. Next to that spring there are a house and a recreation area.
Historical milestone
Battle fought on 22 December 1873 near Bocairent, during the Third Carlist War, between the Carlist forces of Colonel Santés, operating from Chelva, and the Republican army commanded by General Weyler. The Carlists, superior in number but worse armed, held elevated positions while the Republicans fell back towards the town; combat resumed at ten in the morning, and the Carlists' shortage of ammunition proved decisive, forcing their retreat towards Mogente. Sixty-two soldiers from both sides died, buried near the battlefield, where in 1912 a stone cross was erected that still marks the spot today.
Activity
The festivities of Bocairent in honour of Saint Augustine are celebrated from 22 to 28 August, with traditional dances to the rhythm of the dulzaina and the tabalet, instruments typical of Valencian festive music. They are distinct from the town's Moors and Christians, which are celebrated in February in honour of Saint Blaise, patron saint of the town.
Historical milestone
Built in 1843 by hollowing out the rock of the hill on which the old town sits, it is the oldest bullring in the Comunitat Valenciana. The ring lies below street level and the tiers were carved directly into the stone.
Historical milestone
In 1587 a royal cloth factory protected by privileges of the Crown was established in Bocairent. Wool and, later, the blanket made the villa one of the textile centres of the Valencian interior for more than three centuries.
Food and drink
Liqueur obtained by macerating in aniseed spirit plants gathered in the Serra de Mariola, such as rabo de gato, fennel or sage. It is drunk as a digestif and its home-made preparation is still usual in Bocairent and the surrounding towns.