Santa Bárbara Castle

Santa Bárbara Castle is located in the center of Alicante, Spain. It stands on Mount Benacantil bordering the sea, which gave it enormous strategic value since from it you can see the entire bay of Alicante and its land surroundings.

History

Bronze Age, Iberian, and Roman artifacts have been found on the slopes of the mountain, but the origins of the castle date to the 9th century at the time of Muslim control of the Iberian Peninsula, from 711 till 1296.

In 1248, the castle was captured by Castilian forces led by Alfonso of Castile. It was named after Saint Barbara, on whose feast day the castle was recaptured from the Arabs. It was conquered by the Aragonese in 1296 during the reign of James II of Aragon, who ordered its reconstruction. Peter IV of Aragon, Charles I of Spain and Philip II of Spain would oversee further reconstructions.

The castle was bombarded in 1691 by a French squadron. During the War of the Spanish Succession, it was held by the British for three years. In 1873, it was bombarded, along with the city, by the cantonalistas from the frigate Numancia. From the 18th century the military role of the castle has declined and it was used sometimes as a prison. From April 1939, with the end of the Spanish Civil War, it was used as a Francoist concentration camp for Republican prisoners until the end of that year.

Today

The castle remained abandoned until 1963, when it was opened to the public. There are some guided tours and there are refreshments and other amenities at and near the summit.

Castle grounds

The castle is divided into three distinct areas. The first of them is the tallest, and is known as 'The Turret' as the old Torre del Homenaje is located there. It has the oldest vestiges of the entire fortress, foundations from the 11th to the 13th centuries. The old citadel was there. The intermediate enclosure corresponds to the most important rooms completed in 1580: Felipe II Hall, former Corps of the Troop in front of the large Patio de Armas behind whose back are the ruins of the hermitage of Santa Bárbara, Guard Corps, Baluarte de la Reina, etc.

The lower area where we find the Revellín del Bon Repós dates back to the 18th century, which currently serves as a parking lot and where the monument to the illustrious Alicante soldier Félix Berenguer de Marquina is located, who was captain general of the Philippines and viceroy of the New Spain. The large white marble shield (18th century) above the access door to the second enclosure was in the Royal Consulate of the Sea, a building destroyed by an explosion.

Inside is the Museum of the City of Alicante (MUSA), made up of five rooms that are complemented by the Renaissance Cistern.

Address

Lugar Castillo Santa Barbara 1, Alicante, Spain

Details

Founded: 9th century AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Spain