The feast of Moors and Christians of Orihuela

Every 17 July in Orihuela the Fiesta de la Reconquista is held: an event that recalls the “liberation” of the city of Valencia from Arab rule, which took place in the thirteenth century by James II of AragonJames II (1264? – Barcelona, 1327), already King of Sicily in 1285, ascended the throne of Aragon in 1291 to the death of his brother Alfonso III. Man of letters and a great patron of the arts, he is also responsible for the Aragonese occupation of Sardinia (1323).. Celebrated already during the Early Modern period, for several decades now the festival of Moors and Christians in Oriuhela has again come to take the form of a grand theatrical performance. The symbol of the festival is the Estandarte del Oriol, the old standard of the town hoisted on the day of the reconquest of the city (photo).

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