Albatera

With an extension of 61.69 km2 and close to 12,000 inhabitants, Albatera is becoming a modern and cosmopolitan city in keeping with the society that inhabits it, located very close to the coast, only 20 km., But that preserves the values traditional and tranquility that characterizes the interior municipalities of the province of Alicante. Its name comes from the Arabic "al-uatira", which means, path or path, place name that with the passage of time becomes Latinized becoming the current Albatera. Its pleasant climate, with an average annual temperature of 18º, favors a magnificent stay at any time of the year. The cordiality and the character of its people make the visitor feel at home. Discover its traditional gastronomy, its cultural events and social life, and its typical and varied parties, which extend throughout the year. Albatera, land of pomegranates, fig trees and lemon trees, of traditions and customs that offer the visitor the possibility of approaching a way of life and know how to make typical and unique, is an indisputable visit for all those who come to the Region of the Vega Baja . Its archaeological record dates back to chronologies prior to our time, when these lands were populated by prehistoric cultures, Iberians, etc ... In the thirteenth century, in full Reconquista, Albatera was incorporated into the Crown of Castile, within the jurisdiction of Orihuela privilege of Alfonso X El Sabio on July 15, 1266. This is the oldest document found in which Albatera is mentioned. In the service of Jaime I, the Rocafull family enters the Kingdom of Valencia, becoming one of the most important noble houses of Orihuela and Albatera. In 1355, Mr. Fernando de Aragón rewarded the services rendered to Mr. Ramón de Rocafull by assigning him the place of Albatera, which became a manor. From the Palacio de los señores de Rocafull, located in the old town of the current Albatera, the Rocafull directed the political and social aspects of their environment, making Albatera an important place on the road between Valencia and Cartagena. On February 22, 1628, Felipe IV granted the title of Count of Albatera to Don Gaspar de Rocafull and Boyl. He will be followed by his son Ramón de Rocafull and this Guillén-Manuel de Rocafull. Grandfather, father and grandson, will be the promoters of the construction of the Church of Santiago Apóstol, jewel of the Levantine baroque, whose work ended in 1728. Coinciding with the completion of its construction, he died without offspring Guillén-Manuel de Rocafull, third Count of Albatera . At his death, the inheritance of the lordship of Albatera goes to the Dos Aguas family, settled in Valencia, in the figure of the Marquis Giner Rabaza de Perellós. Finally the crisis of the lordship and the disappearance of seigneurial rights will result in the new municipal administration during the nineteenth century.