History of Moraira

History of Teulada

The history of Teulada begins when it was founded in 1386 after the Christians had recaptured the area from the Moors. It was owned by the Marquis of Ariza and the Duke of Gandia, among others, until it was handed over to the Crown in the 19th century.
The evangelical Dominican, San Vicente Ferrer, early in the 15th century, visited Teulada regularly and became a patron saint. Many streets were named after him.

Church of Teulada

La Iglésia Fortaleza de Santa Catalina (church fortress) used to have two purposes. Defense and religious. It is without doubt the most important building in the municipality of Teulada. In 1562 the Italian architect J.B. Antonelli supervised the fortification of the church against constant attacks by Berber pirates also called Moors.

As a result, the construction of this magnificent building took between 35 and 40 years. The construction was finally completed by local inhabitants of Teulada, in fact, in 1574 more than 600 inhabitants worked on the project.
The building consists of a traditional building and additions, which took place in the 18th century.

The Castle of Moraira

The castle along the coastline of Moraira was built in the 18th Century as a defense point for guarding the coastline in conjunction with tower of Moraira. The Torre del Cap d’ Or was the vantage point for the castle.

From above, the castle looks like an ox hoof. Semicircular facade facing south and a single door facing north. Above the single door is a sign with the completion date of 1742. In the past, door was accessible only by a drawbridge.

The sloping walls of the castle are 10 meters high and on the roof there are 7 openings in the form of arrow slits where the cannons were located. The structure has 4 windows in total. On the south side there are 3 and above the door on the north side there is one more. These 4 windows were the only way light got in at the time.

The structure is part of several watchtowers and forts along the Valencian coastline.

The church of Moraira

The church listens to the name Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados. Freely translated, that is Church of Our Lady of the Forsaken. The church was built in the heart of Moraira. It was built in the 19th Century and then restored several times.

It was really a church for the sailors. You can clearly see this in the stained glass. All important celebrations in Moraira begin in this church.

Moraira through the years

At first Moraira was a kind of no man’s land without municipal rights, for example. By joining Teulada municipal rights came automatically and the production of muscatel increased.

Subsequently, more and more fishermen came to Moraira so that the port activities increased enormously and Moraira really became a fishing village.
In the ’60s and ’70s Moraira was discovered by wealthy Madrileños who started building vacation homes here. Domestic tourism eventually grew into international tourism.

Meanwhile, fishing boats still leave the port of Moraira but the fish auction closed years ago. The muscatel fields, on the other hand, are still the face of Moraira and these fields are also still active. Every year during the harvest in August a big party is organized in Teulada in honor of the muscatel grape.

Nevertheless, tourism has become the main source of income for Moraira and, consequently, for Teulada. Although tourism has become the main source of income, high-rise buildings are still prohibited outside the center of Moraira and will remain so. This preserves the authentic atmosphere of Moraira.