FEUD

The House of Lauria held one of the most important lordships of the ancient Kingdom of Valencia. His military victories and the favor of the king allowed him to accumulate a vast territory becoming one of the most powerful and influential nobles of the second half of the thirteenth century. His properties extended throughout the Montanae Valenciae, located in the north of the current province of Alicante, with very significant properties in Valencian territory such as Puig de Santa María or the vineyards in Xátiva and Dénia.

Upon their arrival to the Crown of Aragon, they were given the castles of Seta, Xeroles (1270), the farms of Capamaimona and Llombo in Planes and the Abinçatcho farmhouse in Alcalá (1273) under the initial control of their mother Isabella d’Amicis, as first lady-in-waiting to Queen Constanza. The growth of Cocentaina and Alcoi during the second half of the 13th century and, above all, the construction of the Pobla de Ifach, after having acquired the castrum of Calp in 1291, is due to the admiral’s decisions.

COCENTAINA

TOWN

After being named knight and exercising the position of provisional Governor of the Kingdom of Valencia, he was given in 1276 the town of Cocentaina as mayor and in 1291 as lord in feudum honoratum a costum de Barcelona, which included the farmsteads of Muro, Alcudia, Benamer, Alcocer, Ràfol Blanch -actual Alqueria d’Asnar- Benataire, Benifit, Cella de Núñez, Benifloret, Benimàmet, El Rahal and the farmhouse and castle of Penella.

BURNED

The Granada attack of 1304 was an episode that measured the experience and military capacity of Ruggiero di Lauria. Just arrived in his fief after signing the Peace of Caltabellota, the town was besieged by 3000 troops commanded by the North African al-Abbas ben Rahu, who completely razed the town, attacking the castle where the admiral had sheltered the population, saving many lives.

Lauria’s military expertise allowed him lift the siege, after a bloody fight where the defenders caused many casualties among the Grenadians, causing them to flee towards Xixona and Alicante. The loss of life was minimal, but the town was destroyed. Proud of their resistance, the contestants remember that heroic deed, making their nickname of “the burned ones” (socarrats).

RECONSTRUCTION

The following years were years of reconstruction for the town, which rose with renewed pride from the ashes. After the death of the admiral in 1305, the management initially fell to the male members of the family, under the tutelage of his uncle Gombau de Entenza, Saurina de Entenza and the administrators appointed by the admiral.

To their decisions we owe much of the reconstruction of the walls of the town and, above all, the Gothic tower of the Castell and the construction of the fortress or domus that will be the germ of what is now the Palau Comtal. The government of the territory will pass into the hands of Beatriz de Lauria y Lancia, the first-born daughter of the first marriage and her son Alfonso Roger de Lauria, grandson of the admiral.

FAIR

The government of Alfonso Roger de Lauria in Cocentaina meant an enormous commercial take-off, since it turned the town of Cocentaina into an economic and commercial center for the region and the whole Kingdom of Valencia. In 1346, King Pere IV granted the privilege of holding a weekly market every Thursday and of organizing an annual fifteen-day fair starting on the feast of St. Michael. Subsequently, this fair will be moved to the end of October and November 1, coinciding with the feast of All Saints, being the second oldest fair in the peninsular territory.

CALP

CASTRUM

The castrum of Calp was a desired acquisition by the admiral as an exit to the sea from his fiefs in the interior of the Alicante territory. Calp had wharves, salines and a large number of products that made it a key point. Controlled the farmsteads or capmajors of Benissa, Teulada and Calp, dedicated to fishing, trade, the cultivation of vines, raisins and carob and pasture.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the Calpine territory began to grow in terms of population, economy and trade with the integration of its wharves into the network of ports of the crown. Fishing became a star product, exporting the “peix de Calp” throughout the kingdom. Cattle coming from the area of Castellón used the pastures of Calp in the winter periods, which produced serious conflicts with the Calpine cattle breeders and farmers.

POBLA NOVA

During the rule of the House of Lauria, the territory of Calp was reorganised with the construction of Pobla de Ifach, an urban enclave designed to house the settlers who moved from Aragon and Catalunya Vella and Nova. It was officially founded in 1282, although it was reaffirmed in 1297. La Pobla de Ifach had a short life, close to 100 years. Its decline began with the Castilian siege perpetrated between January and February 1365 during the so-called War of the Two Peters between the crowns of Castile and Aragon, which led to the partial destruction of the enclave and the gradual exodus of the settlers to Calp, Benissa and Teulada, the main farmhouses of the castrum, starting its growth until it ended up in the municipalities we know today.

DOMUS. A SPACE FOR POWER

The main building of power is the ‘Domus Domini’ of Ifach, which is located next to the North Gate, the main access to the interior of the enclave. This building was the residence of the House of Lauria in the territory or of its representatives, where justice was dispensed and the government of the city and the rest of the castrum was dictated.

It is a rectangular building with two different floors and a gabled roof supported by stone corbels and wooden beams. The ground floor was dedicated to the guardhouse and domestic functions, where the kitchen was located. The upper floor was a room of about 100 square metres, paved with a brick floor and illuminated by five mullioned windows of the coronella type.

CHURCH. A PLACE TO BELIEVE

The ecclesiastical power was represented in Ifach in the church of Beata Santa María, which was promoted by Margarita de Lauria in 1343 and had a master builder and a team of stonemasons from the town of Alcoi.

It has a single central nave with diaphragm arches, with two side chapels with ribbed vaults. On its façade there was a staircase that gave access to a large door with a semicircular arch. Its bell tower was about 18 metres high and also helped in defensive tasks. Ashlar masonry dominates the construction with contributions from local quarries. The wood used comes from local forests and from Albarracín.