The conqueror Jaime first came to Teulada in 1244 and in 1386 the municipality was legally created.
Very well known are the wines and mistelas of Teulada as well as the village of Moraira with its background of fishing. The mediterranean traditions and regional customs have moulded the appearance of the municipality over the centuries. Some of these have stood the test of time while others remain merely as a distant memory. One gets to know Teulada-Moraira by visiting its monuments and streets, but also by taking note of the tales that can be found in books or stories passed on by word of mouth from those who recall past times.
THE TOWN HALL OF TEULADA
The Town Hall of Teulada is a modern, multi-purpose building opened in 1991. Besides the offices of the local authority, it is also home to the Library and Arts Centre.
CHURCH OF SANTA CATALINA
The Parish Church of Santa Catalina stands out thanks to its compactness and austere medieval
style. It was built at the end of the 16th century as a church-fortress in response to the frequent attacks from Berber pirates the town suffered at that time. It is of Renaissance style with Gothic details. It has a single nave with four 4 sections, a ribbed ceiling and an apse decorated with Byzantine-style paintings crowned with the parish coat of arms.
The cost of its construction was paid for by the locals of Teulada by means of a special tax. It took 35-40 years to be built.
Its interior once held a wealth of statues, but they were destroyed in the war. The only remaining statue is that of San Vicente Ferrer, which dates from the 18th century and was saved from destruction thanks to being hidden behind a wall in the home of a family that lived in Teulada.
The church has a Romanesque-style organ that is one of the oldest in the province.
The bell tower was built in the 19th century. It is 30 metres high and has a hexagonal layout.
THE CHAPEL OF “LA DIVINA PASTORA”
The chapel of “la Divina Pastora” alongside the church is a quaint building with the main doorway in renaissance style while the rest is in baroque style. Funeral functions are carried out in the chapel.
SALA DE JURATS I JUSTÍCIES
In the heart of the historical centre of Teulada stands the Sala de Jurats i Justícies (Courts of
Justice). This impressive building is the town’s most important civil monument and was where the local authorities used to hold their meetings until 1991. It was built in 1620 in rough, rectangular stone and is set on three semi-circular front arches and two side arches. It has a sundial dated 1639 and stands next to the former home of Constanza Ferrer, sister of San Vicente Ferrer, the Patron Saint of Teulada.
The square on which it stands was formerly used for commerce and trade such as the sale of fish and the traditional custom of slaughtering pigs.
The building has undergone various transformations in its time owing to the whims of the local authority of the day, which opened or closed the arches to suit the functions it wanted to give the building.
Throughout history, it has been the most practical building in Teulada and has been home to schools and markets, and used as a rehearsal room for the municipal band, a magistrate’s court and town hall.
THE SHRINE OF SAN VICENTE FERRER
San Vicente Ferrer´s chapel on the square of the same name. The construction is of Tosca stone
with its dome of blue tiles contrasting with the white of the main structure, completed at the end of the 18th century in the neo-classical baroque style. The 16th century image of the saint at the altar is of interest.
The altar is presided over by the panel painting of San Vicente Ferrer, attributed to the workshop of Juan de Juanes.
Formerly, the shrine also contained the altarpiece of Las Ánimas, but today, only the panel of the Adoration of the Magi, of great artistic value, remains.
THE SHRINE OF “LA FONT SANTA”
The Shrine is situated on the road towards Moraira and have a font witch owes its miraculous origin to the hand of Vicente Ferrer, who brought forth drinking water for the first time to relieve the thirst of his sister Constanza. Be there drought or heavy rain, water always flows. This peculiarity has made it a point of pilgrimage.
CHURCH OF NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LOS DESAMPARADOS
This church is located in the town centre of Moraira and was built between 1875 and 1878 with stone
taken from the Castle of Moraira, which was demolished in one of the battles of the Carlist wars.
It has been refurbished on several occasions, most recently in 1989. Its front is reminiscent of the typical architecture of the area, the riu-raus, porticoes with semi-circular arches. It also has outstanding stained-glass windows, which furnish the building with its very special colours.
The east façade holds the statue of La Virgen del Carmen, Patron Saint of sailors and a maritime procession is held in her honour on 16 July.
La Torre del Cap. D´Or ( Wacth Tower of the Cap. D´Or)
La Torre del Cap d’Or stands on the highest point of the cape dominating the beach of El Portet. It is a
watch tower that the engineer Antonelli recommended to King Philip the Second to be built to warn and defend the local population from incursions from the Berbers. The tower is circular with a perimeter of 26 metres and height of eleven.
At the southeast slope of the Cap D’Or there is the Cova de les Cendres, a cave 35 to 40 metres above sea level,. It is one of the most important Paleolithic architectural finds in the Mediterranean.
Castle of Moraira
The Castle of Moraira, although planned at the same time as the Torre del Cap D’Or, was not
constructed until 1742, as shown on the Bourbon shield over the door. Its curious shape is known as an Ox’s Hoof due to the semi-circular south face, with a straight north face which includes the entrance to the interior.
The castle is currently home to an audiovisual museum on the sea and pirates.
