Last week we talked about Guadalajara, and today we return to the Valencian Community Well, we have to talk about the municipality of Sax.
It is located in the Alto Vinalopó region, 46 kilometers from the provincial capital, and today we will focus on what to see in Sax Alicante.
What to see in Sax de Alicante
The municipality varies in altitude, but it is on the south face of the mountain that is 471 meters above sea level and that is where the castle that characterizes it stands.
El sax castle It was built on a very steep rock, but before the current construction there was something else since some Iberian and Roman traces have been found.
the current fortress It is Andalusian and it is believed that it is probably Almohad. The area fell into Arab hands in the 1239th century and was definitively reconquered at the end of the year XNUMX. Then, it came to depend on the kingdom of Castile and later, in 1480, to the Crown of the Catholic Monarchs.
Sax Castle It was part of the rosary of three fortresses of Alto Vinalopó (The other two are the fortress of Biar and Villena). The first of the battles fought against the Muslims took place here in 1239, although then the forces of Ramón Folch, Viscount of Cardona, failed.
Some time later, success was achieved by the Knights of the Order of Calatrava and the fate of the castle was that of the municipality that we recounted above. Many years later, at the time of the War of Succession (XNUMXth century), the garrison of the fortress supported Philip of Anjou, so he had to deal with the forces of Charles of Austria, and in the end he had to leave.
The hill on which it stands is long and The castle can only be reached from the northwest side. Has walled building, with internal shelter, and an external barbican with entrances and bridges. There are two towers, a rectangular one two meters thick with the weapons room inside and a crenellated terrace and arrow slits; and they were combined with other defensive constructions located on the slope.
While the classic drawbridge has disappeared, the castle had one that opened onto the keep. The old cistern still exists, huge. Since 1980 the Castle of Sax Alicante has been owned by the municipality, it is wonderfully restored and can visit.
And if you really like castles you can follow the Route of the Vinalopó Castles: are around 100 kilometers through nine municipalities. All the castles come from the Muslim and Christian times: Atalaya Castle, Biar Castle, Bañeres Castle, Castalla Castle, Sax Castle, Elda Castle, Petrel Castle, La Mola Castle and Altamira Palace.
Now, the medieval historic center of Sax in Alicante is enchanting and we see it on the slopes of the castle. Its streets are narrow. Only in the XNUMXth century did the town expand beyond this heart.
It is in its streets that we will see houses of various styles and centuries. For example, on Aurora street is the House of the Comparsa Alagoneses and House of the Carica; in San Blas street is the Casa de la Mayordomía, in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento is the House of the Comparsa de Garibaldinos and in the Plaza Cervantes is the Casa Marco and the Casa de Pascual Carrión.
We can also visit the The Church of the Asunción,. The Church is of XVI century and has the shape of a Latin cross and a single nave. It has various styles and some of the chapels and the beautiful north door, in Renaissance style, shine.
Continuing with the religious buildings, you can visit the Hermitage of Solitude, in the Plaza de España, whose virgin is the one that comes out at Easter, and the Hermitage of San Blas, built before the Church of the Assumption, built on the Islamic mosque.
Other attractions for the visitor are the Snow pit, an old site for storing snow for the summer, the shield of the inquisition, heraldic shield on Calle Mayor, with the arms of Josef Torreblanca, a native of Sax in the XNUMXth century, parish priest and commissioner of the Inquisition.
To take a walk around the roundabout you can see the Colonia de Santa Eulalia, a XNUMXth century agricultural colony with factories, workshops and warehouses, palace and theater. To see Arab and Roman ruins, La Torre, the natural area where these treasures are found.
There are many tourist routes in Sax de Alicante. For example, you can follow the Botanical Trail, the Route of the Senses and the Route of the Castle, each with its own version dedicated to children. It also offers possibilities for lovers of hiking and cycling.
For example, if you like to walk, you have to say that everywhere there are paths and roads, although only two are approved and recognized: they are the GR-7, the Long Route Path, which goes around the region, and the PRV-25, a short route Elda-Salinas-Elda, which is mostly concentrated in Sax.
Other thematic routes are the Archaeological route, the routes of the Caracol and the Route of the Fondillón, all published by the Isla de Interior consortium. Other options to move the skeleton? Can climbing in the Sierra de Cabreras, can you do caving in Peñarrubia, paraglider right there or fly in microlights and hang glider here too and in the Colonia de Santa Eulalia.
Finally, there is no Spanish town that does not have a good handful of parties and in our list of Sax from Alicante there are several to take into account. For example, there are carnivals, there is the pilgrimage, the festival of San Sebastián, that of Santa Eulalia and the festivals of the Virgen de la asunción, the Virgen de los frutos and obviously, Holy Week.
We can add the call Three Kings, very traditional, which is celebrated on the eve of Three Kings, January 5, and in which children and young people participate waiting for the Three Kings. The town hall party It is celebrated on December 26, with a neighborhood assembly with the aim of organizing the preparations for the San Blas Fiestas.
Moors and ChristiansFor its part, it is a festival that dates back to 1627 when its celebration was promised for the first time. The idea is to celebrate the day of San Blas, patron saint of Sax, so the festival commemorates the Christian reconquest by the troops of Jaime I in 1239. This festival is super popular and since the 40s of the XNUMXth century it lasts five days in February, from the 1st to the 5th, with very entertaining troupes.
Before leaving our article on what to see in Sax de Alicante we tell you that in terms of gastronomy you can't stop eating rice and rabbit, gazpacho, whipped gachamiga or cod borreta, in addition to the quality of its sausages. Mantecados, mostachones, sighs and milk rolls They take the cake when it comes to sweets, and if it is about drinking, be sure to try a glass of mistela or a good white wine.