VALLIBONA
WALKING THROUGH VALLIBONA IS TRANSFERRING TO THE PAST, WALKING THROUGH ANOTHER TIME.
The town of Vallibona is located in a deep valley through which the Cérvol river runs between the Turmell and La Creu mountain ranges.
Located on a slope facing southeast, at a height of 672 meters above sea level, and protected from the north winds by large rock walls, its urban center has been declared a Historic-Artistic Site , being one of the examples of popular architecture. best preserved in the Valencian Community. Walking through its streets is like going back in time, as it maintains its medieval layout with narrow streets adapted to the contour lines, some, and steep to overcome the unevenness, the others, with a multitude of picturesque corners.
SET
HISTORICAL
ARTISTIC
Among its heritage, the Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin stands out, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest with the category of Monument. It is an excellent example of a so-called “repopulation” temple, from the second half of the 13th century, with pointed diaphragm arches and a gabled tile roof. It has a unique wooden Mudejar roof inside due to its significant polychrome decoration. The baroque covering that masks its original architecture is also of great quality and beauty. The nave of the church is currently covered with a barrel vault with lunettes decorated in its entirety with sgraffito in which a very rich iconographic program is developed. The Baroque period complex is completed by a high choir covered by a lowered oval dome on pendentives, an organ dated 1791 and a Mudejar-inspired bell tower.
MUSEUMS AND SHRINES
Vallibonavenatrix Space (Vallibona Fossils)
In the Tourist Info offices, a reproduction of the remains of the Vallibonavenatrix Cani, the species of dinosaur native to Vallibona, is displayed, as well as an explanatory tour of the study of the local fossils.
Jail
Located on the ground floor of the Town Hall, it is accessed through a door with a semicircular arch. The interior is distributed into a room for the jailer and three cells that preserve doors with original locks and small barred openings. It has been restored and currently houses the Coal Museum.
Coal Museum
Located in the old prison building, it explains the history of charcoal production in Vallibona, which, mainly during the 19th and 20th centuries, was fundamental in the municipality's economy, which took advantage of the abundance of raw materials existing in the forests of the area. municipality.
Medieval Roof Museum
The Communion Chapel of the Assumption Parish houses its medieval roof museum. The baroque covering of the church has allowed the conservation of a magnificent polychrome ceiling. After a restoration, a part of the pieces whose extraordinary decoration combines Mudejar motifs (lacework, Kufic inscriptions...) with others from linear Gothic (knightly scenes, fantastic animals, heraldry) are exhibited in this space.
The hermitages of Santo Domingo and Santa Águeda, both patron saints of Vallibona, are also part of the architectural heritage.
Hermitage of Santo Domingo:
Superb monastic complex, composed of a church and a guest house, organized around a quadrangular square paved with mud slabs and with a cistern in the center.
Hermitage of Santa Águeda:
At 1175 meters high, this hermitage is considered one of the best examples of the Romanesque repopulation style. The doorway of regular voussoir ashlars gives way to a nave covered with a barrel vault.
NATURE IN ITS PUREST FORM
Its great landscape wealth and wide variety of fauna can be seen in its almost 10,000 hectares, which extend across the Els Ports and Tinença mountains, which led to it being incorporated into the Tinença de Benifassà Natural Park.
It is an ideal place for nature lovers, with a multitude of hiking routes of varying difficulty, six cataloged bouldering routes and a mountain bike route (Morella-Vallibona).
Botanical Route:
Botanical trail of low difficulty, just over 1 km. Walk in which you can see different well-preserved ecosystems: the riverside forest of the Cérvol River, the oak tree and the old crop fields.
GR-7
From Vallibona we can head north, to Fredes or west, to Morella, both routes being of medium-high difficulty level that cover places of great interest and beauty.
GR-331 -Road of Conquest-.
Two stages pass through the municipality of Vallibona: Castell de Cabres-Vallibona and Vallibona-Vallivana.
Recreative areas.
Several recreational areas or “picnic areas” have been prepared in the town that allow you to rest and get supplies while enjoying the tranquility and the landscape.
FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS
Saint Anthony
Main winter festival.
Date: It is celebrated on a weekend close to January 17.
August patron saint festivities
in honor of Saint Dominic and Saint Agatha.
Date: second week of August.
Prayer to Pena-roja by Tastavins
Every 7 years, the day after the Ascension, the prayer meeting with the population of Pena-roja is celebrated. This is a historical event that has lasted since 1347.
