The Amazing Peñíscola Castle

The castle was another Wow for us. We only paid $5 Cdn (seniors’ rates) to get into this wonderful place.

In 1233, Peñíscola, which had been under the control of the Arabs (it was a Moorish citadel) since 718, was given to King James of Aragon. In 1294, it was passed over to the Order of the Temple. It was at this point that the Knights Templar built their last great fortress here between 1294 and 1307. After this they disappeared and became nothing more than a legend.

The castle is located on the highest point of the city. It was built with walls of carved stone and most of the rooms had barrel vaults. It is solidly built and an imposing building.

The minute we walked into the castle, we felt history. It has been well taken care of and has been used in several films including the Game of Thrones and El Cid with Sophia Loren and Charlton Heston.

An interesting fact - When they filmed El Cid at this castle, back in 1961, there were a lot of rather inconvenient modern houses spoiling the shot. No fancy digital graphics existed back then – so the film-makers had to build a huge wall and a gate to disguise it all. The set was so enormous, it apparently made the Guinness Book of Records for a while. Many of the townsfolk were enlisted as extras.

The first six rooms focussed on two centuries of the Templars’ glories, heroes, defeats, struggles and their daily work as a Christian military force. Then we went up and down stairs exploring the stables, the cisterns, halls, church and even the dungeon with its chains.

It was also the residence of Benedict XIII, who turned it into a palace and papal library when he moved to Peñíscola in 1411. Known as Papa Luna, he had been excommunicated from the papacy but refused to step down. He moved into the castle after being accused of being heretic and a traitor by the Church, and he died alone and poor in 1423.

We were able to go into his rooms where he defended his rights and wrote his last texts. The people here respect him for what he did and even now talk about his strength. He led a pretty interesting life.

We really enjoyed exploring this castle and reading the well-written signposts that were written in several languages.

At the foot of the castle is the Artillery Park where its gunpowder storage areas, weapons and cannons are displayed. At present the area has been made into a botanical garden where visitors can enjoy the lush vegetation of palm trees, olive trees, lavender and native plants. From here we could see the north beach of Peñíscola and also the Mediterranean sea that meets the walls of the city in the fortress. It is a calm place now with beautiful views.

We have sore knees and backs but it was worth the pain.Read more