Torrent is a city located within the metropolitan area of the city of Valencia,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is the largest municipality of the
Horta SudHorta Sud is a comarca in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain.- Municipalities :*Albal*Alcàsser*Alfafar*Benetússer*Beniparrell*Catarroja*Lugar Nuevo de la Corona*Massanassa*Paiporta*Picassent*Sedaví*Silla...
comarca, with 79,843 inhabitants (2010). It is situated some 7 km from Valencia city proper, to which it is connected via the
metro. The two metro stations in Torrent are called
Torrent and
Torrent avinguda from the lines 1 and 5.
It is bordered by
AldaiaAldaia is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Oest in the Valencian Community, Spain.-External links:*...
,
AlaquàsAlaquàs is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Oest in the Valencian Community, Spain.-Etymology:The town's name is of Arabic origin, coming from al-quas, meaning the arcs which is believed to be a reference to a bridge of Moorish origin near the town.-Local politics:Alaquàs is located in...
and
XirivellaXirivella is a municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It borders the city of Valencia and the municipality of Mislata.It is connected to central Valencia by bus routes and a railway station...
in the north,
PicanyaPicanya is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Sud in the Valencian Community, Spain....
and
CatarrojaCatarroja is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Sud in the Valencian Community, Spain....
in the east, Alcàcer and
PicassentPicassent is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Sud in the Valencian Community, Spain.Picassent is a town of close to twenty thousand people...
in the south and
MontserratMontserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
,
GodelletaGodelleta is a municipality in the comarca of Hoya de Buñol in the Valencian Community, Spain....
,
TurísTurís, , is a municipality in the comarca of Ribera Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain.-Villages:* Altury* Cortitxelles, a village built by the Instituto Nacional de Colonización* Masia Pavias* Monte Tesoro* Los Blázquez* Montur* Vinyamalata...
and
XivaChiva is a municipality in the comarca of Hoya de Buñol in the Valencian Community, Spain....
in the West. All of the cities are part of the province of Valencia.
Geography
There are only a few remarkable mountains in the municipal territory: El Vedat (142 m), Morredondo (157 m), Barret (142 m), Cabezo de la Araña (228 m) and the Serra Perenxisa (329 AMSL). About a 20% of the territory is mountainous. Torrent is crossed by a gully (Barranc de Torrent) which flows into the
AlbuferaThe Albufera is a saltwater lagoon and estuary on the Gulf of Valencia coast of the Valencian Community in eastern Spain. It is the main porton of the Parc Natural de l'Albufera , with a surface area of...
.
History
The village of Torrent was officially founded in 1248, after the
ReconquistaThe Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
although the tower and its fortification were built several centuries earlier. Archaeological research suggests that there were inhabitants in the zone in the
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
.
It was originally a fief of the
Knights HospitallerThe Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
.
The Medieval Tower
The Medieval Tower was built by the
MoorsThe description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
and was part of an ancient castle. It was double-walled and had some underground passages.
The tower, which lies in a square, has a truncated pyramid shape and is 30 meters high, with 5 floors and a terrace where The Cross of the St. John of Jerusalem order and a Valencian "rat penat" can be seen at the four upper corners.
Access to the tower is through an exterior staircase connecting to a door at the first floor.
Around 1613 porticoes were built around to house a market around the tower. In 1847 it became the property of Torrent.
The tower has often been used as a prison throughout the history, and the porches have hosted the Courts in its upper floors since 1908 (when new ones were built). The porticoes were demolished in 1970. After its restoration, the Tower houses two exhibition halls.
Sant Lluís Bertrán's Hermitage
The shrine dedicated to Saint Lluís Bertrán is a traditional and beloved church by all people in Torrent, since Sant Blai among other festivities are held in the hermitage. In 1634 the City Council agreed to build the chapel dedicated to Saint Lluis Bertran. After many changes and reconstructions it was used for military purposes during the
Spanish civil warThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and was finally restored after that conflict.
Internally, it consists of a nave and two sides. The neoclassical facade is divided into three parts. The door has an arc with archivolt, St. Louis' image and a large rosette appear over the door. The bell is hexagonal base and construction was finished in 1829. It has four bells and a clock with three spheres that was located there in 1950.
Esglèsia de l'Assumpció
The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was built in the 13th century, in the same place as the current one, but much smaller. Its rector attended the diocesan synods in the fourteenth century. An image of the "Verge del Pòpul", which disappeared in 1936, was likely the main image in the ancient parish. It has had many fires and thefts with the result that the church that exists nowadays has had many restorations and modifications.
External links