FORTRESS CHURCH OF SAINT CATECHIST MARTYR

Built as a fortress, in order to protect the inhabitants from the attacks of the Berbers pirates, this church consists of two very distinct parts. It is believed that the oldest part, dating from the th century, is due to a project by Joan Cambra, a great architect who has left his paw on other high-profile buildings, such as the churches of Pego and San Miguel de los Reyes in Valencia. A series of enlargements have been made from the th century to the present, for example the form of a Latin cross on the old Gothic floor. Around 1895, a new bell was erected, with a perimeter of 24 metres at the base and a height of 31 metres, representing a fine example of the hexagonal towers of medieval tradition. The organ was built in romantic style by the Valencian society Successors de Randeynes between the th and th centuries. Today, the defensive characteristics of the church have all disappeared, only visible relic, a section of the old wall at the back of the church.