Things to see in

Vilafamés

Vilafamés is rock and roll of the best kind

There are a million stories to tell in Vilafamés. Did you know that the Greenwich Meridian not only passes through London but also passes very, very close to Vilafamés? Or that the Roca Grossa challenges Newton’s laws every morning? To walk through the streets of Vilafamés is to travel from the Islamic origins of the town to the Carlist wars of the 19th century; to go through a time portal and lose oneself in beauty.

Cultural heritage

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Historic Site

A site is usually defined by a property that all its elements possess: in this case the property is undoubtedly beauty. This site is surrounded by a wall built in the 14th century, which surrounds the various urban structures as well as the municipality’s iconic buildings. Two different areas can be seen in the urban layout: the upper one, with narrow, zigzagging streets, and the lower one, where the streets have a linear layout, adapted to the topography. In 2005, the site was declared a Site of Cultural Interest.

The Castle

This castle has traces of 19th-century Carlist architecture in its circular central tower, one of the few examples in the Valencian Community. Its origin is much earlier. Located at the top of the town, where there is evidence of a previous settlement, its use as a castle is of Andalusian origin. Conquered by Jaume I in 1233, it has undergone various reforms throughout its history, with its oldest remains dating back to the 14th century, when the Master of the Order of Montesa ordered the town of Vilafamés to repair and reinforce the fortifications.

Palau del Batlle Museum of Fine Arts

This Gothic civil palatial building, built in the 14th-15th centuries, was first the residence of the royal administrator and then of the representative of the Order of Montesa. It has a lower ground floor, mezzanine, main floor and attic, as well as an interior courtyard with a rectangular tower. In 1971 it was acquired by the Provincial Council to house the Contemporary Art Museum.

RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS

Assumpció Church

Its construction began in 1594 with a plan drawn up by the master builder of Tortosa Cathedral, Martín de Mendoza. Juan Palacios was commissioned with building it. In 1778 it was renovated by extending the transept with the Communion Chapel and adding a new presbytery. The main altarpiece, dating from the early 17th century, was designed by Agustín Sanz and Bernardo Monfort was commissioned to build it.
Of particular note is the frescoed pictorial decoration in the Communion Chapel and the pendentives in the dome, the work of J. Oliet, as well as interesting ornaments, gold and silverwork, and an 18th-century Valencian ceramic plinth.

Sang Church

Sang Church is the first Christian-era site in the town. After the conquest of the town by King Jaume I, this place of worship, dedicated to Santa Maria, was built. Originally, it was a church of the so-called “reconquest” type with a hall nave with diaphragm arches to support the wooden double-sloped or flat roof. In the initial construction of the church, use was made of a series of pre-existing architectural elements such as a cistern from the Hispano-Muslim period, which was used as a burial crypt, and part of the wall.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

‘Abric del Castell’ archaeological site

A site that provokes the WOW effect. A shelter, near the castle, houses a superb set of schematic cave paintings arranged in 3 panels. The first shows a motif composed of a spiral and descending strokes that may represent an anthropomorphic figure, a schematic portrayal of a human figure. The central panel preserves the remains of concentric circles that may be part of a large oculus. The third panel contains motifs that appear to be organised around a central oculus. To the left is a series of red and white punctuations and bars; and to the right are two tectiforms.

Els Estrets – El Racó de Rata Iberian settlement

The Els Estrets-El Racó de Rata archaeological site, dating from the 3rd-1st centuries BC, in the so-called Late Iberian period, is located on the south-eastern spur of Tossal d’en Bosch. The most outstanding feature of the settlement is a powerful wall to which quadrangular and circular towers are attached. Inside, there are streets and dwellings with walls more than 2 metres high, indicating the existence of an upper floor. Different areas of domestic work have been documented, such as cereal milling, storage, looms, etc., as well as human remains associated with rites to protect the houses.

El Tossal de la Font

You won’t stop trembling with excitement in this great cave, which is 2,282 metres long. Anthropological remains attributed to the Neanderthal period have been found here, specifically of a Homo Sapiens woman, approximately 80,000 years old, which makes it the only site of this kind in the Valencian Community. In addition, 3 retouched flint flakes and 1 flint flake with clear signs of usage retouches were found. The fauna discovered consists mainly of horses, deer, wild goats, hyenas, wild dogs and rabbits.

Matutano Cave

Can you imagine if you had a cave from the Palaeolithic era in your house? What would your housemates be like? No doubt quiet but intense. This small cave (70 m²) is inside the back of a house in the centre of the town, right at the foot of Tossal de la Font. The way of life of the ancient occupants of the cave, for 3,000 years of the habitat’s existence, underwent no abrupt changes. Their material culture and their hunter-gatherer economic production strategy gradually transformed. This treasure that lies within the house has provided valuable information on ways of life and utensils.

COUNTRYSIDE AND OTHER SIGHTS

Mallasén Rocks

The Mallasén Rocks are part of a structure that starts in the Mollet mountain and develops in a southwest-northeast direction until it reaches Vilafamés. It is from the Triassic and is characterised by continental sandstones typical of the Buntsandstein. In other words, they are very, very old sediments. The vegetation in the area is dominated by wooded masses of maritime pine and important undergrowth. There are cave paintings in the area in one of the shelters facing west, showing a human figure in a schematic style, painted with thick reddish strokes.

Roca Grossa, Vilafamés

As you walk up Carrer de la Font street towards the old town, you come across a huge 2,163-ton mass of rock on the left, standing in unstable equilibrium on sloping ground. Magic, technology, luck? According to legend, the huge rock, whose real provenance is unknown, has the power to grant wishes. How? Touch it and ask for three wishes and the wise “Roca Grossa” will choose one of the three to grant you. As well as being powerful, this troubadour rock has given the town of Vilafamés its nickname. The story goes that the villagers decided to lower their houses to the flat area, using a rope to move them. When they reached the “Roca Grossa” area, the workers slipped on the reddish mud and fell to the ground. This made their buttocks turn red, giving rise to the nickname “Cul Roig”.