Castle of Santa Bárbara: History and Legends

What can a tourist do in Alicante? For example, visit interesting places. One of the most important is Mount Benacantil, on whose summit, at 166 metres above sea level, stands an ancient fortress: the Castle of Santa Bárbara.

During archaeological excavations on the slopes of the mountain, numerous Bronze Age objects were found, as well as remains of Iberian settlements and Roman structures.

When the Moors founded the fortress at the end of the 9th century AD, Mount Benacantil (Arabic: Banu-l-Qatil) jutted out much farther into the sea than it does today. That is why it had enormous strategic importance: the entire bay and the surrounding lands could be perfectly seen from there.

On 4 December 1248, the feast day of Saint Barbara, Infante Alfonso of Castile (the future King Alfonso X the Wise) captured the fortress. In honour of this victory, the fortification was named after its patron saint: Castle of Santa Bárbara. In 1296 King James II of Aragon took possession of the fortress and rebuilt it. Almost a century later, King Peter IV ordered additional walls to be built, and at the beginning of the 16th century Emperor Charles I completed the main works.

Between 1562 and 1580, during the reign of King Philip II, the main halls and other buildings that still stand today were constructed under the designs of Juan Bautista Antonelli and Jorge Palearo.

The fortress suffered severe damage in almost every war fought in Spain: the French bombarded it in 1691, the British badly damaged it in 1706–1709, and in 1873 it was heavily shelled by the frigate Numancia, which had been seized by Cantonalist rebels from Cartagena… During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), Republicans held the defence here, and after the fall of the last Republican line, many were executed on the spot inside the castle.

The Castle of Santa Bárbara has three levels.

The highest level is called “la torreta” because it is located on the old Keep Tower, traditionally regarded as the last refuge during assaults. This is where the oldest remains of the fortress are found (11th–13th centuries). Here you can see the English Bastion, the Engineers’ Park, the Noble Hall (formerly the hospital), the Governor’s House, etc. On the upper esplanade, known as the Macho del Castillo, stood the former alcazaba.

The middle level contains the most important buildings from 1562–1580: the Philip II Hall, the Troop Quarters (opposite the spacious Parade Ground), the ruins of the old Hermitage of Santa Bárbara, the Guard Corps, and the Queen’s Bastion.

I have always enormously enjoyed walking both on Mount Benacantil and through the various enclosures of this old and charming castle… especially in winter, when it’s not too hot and there are far fewer tourists. The ancient stones that have witnessed so many battles and keep so many secrets whisper tales and legends to me that still live among the castle walls…

The most famous legend of this ancient Alicante fortress is linked to the so-called “Moor’s Face” – a rock formation on one of the slopes of Benacantil that really resembles the face of an old, evil Moor.

The legend tells of a great love between an Arab princess named Zahara and a young Christian Spanish nobleman, Ricardo de Oñate. At that time the fortress was ruled by a cruel Moorish prince, Zahara’s father, who hated Christians and had only one weakness: his beautiful daughter.

One day, during a celebration in the castle, Princess Zahara escaped her boring suitors and went to the garden to listen to the sea and admire the starry sky. There she met a handsome young man who fell passionately in love with her at first sight. He was so bold that, despite the mortal danger of being a Christian, he immediately confessed his love and refused to leave her. She barely managed to persuade him to meet later; using the secret passages (every self-respecting castle has them), she led him out of the fortress.

The poor princess did not know that at that very moment her father had already decided her fate: to marry her off to the Sultan of Damascus. When Zahara learned of the impending marriage, she began to waste away from grief. Ricardo secretly visited her and offered to run away and marry in secret. Everything would have been fine, but the princess’s old nanny overheard their plan and told the father. The enraged prince decided to kill the young Christian.

Zahara fell ill again. Fearing for his daughter’s life but unwilling to give her to an “infidel”, the old Moor told her: “If tomorrow morning the ground turns white, you will marry your beloved. If it does not, I will hang him from the highest tower of the castle.”

The princess spent the whole night praying for a miracle – and the miracle happened: in the morning the entire ground inside and around the fortress was covered with white petals from blooming almond and orange trees!

Alas, this did not save the young man: the evil prince hanged him from the highest tower before dawn, without waiting for the promised morning…

In despair, Zahara ran to the lifeless body of her beloved, embraced him one last time, and jumped with him from the tower onto the sharp rocks of Benacantil. The old prince could not bear his daughter’s death and threw himself off the cliff after her.

Thus all three perished. Ever since, locals say that the slope down which the Moorish ruler fell began to resemble his wicked, treacherous face. At least, that is what the legend says.

But let us continue our walk… After exploring every corner of the old castle, you can rest and have a bite to eat at the restaurant on one of the terraces of Santa Bárbara – the view over the bay and the slopes of Benacantil is breathtaking.

On the lower square, in an old building, weddings, banquets and other events are often held.

On the lowest level there is now a car park and a monument to the famous Alicante military leader, Captain-General Félix Berenguer de Marquina, former Viceroy of New Mexico and commander-in-chief of the Spanish forces in the Philippines.

The Castle of Santa Bárbara and its unmistakable silhouette are the calling card and the main historical attraction of Alicante. It is open to the public all year round from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can reach the top for free by road or pay about 3–4 euros to take the lift that runs through the depths of Mount Benacantil.

So come, enjoy, and travel! See you on the sunny Costa Blanca!