Beniel
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Beniel -
Whilst other countries argue and fight over many weighty issues, for ten years another battle has been raging and it affects the small village of Beniel, located on the on the CV-915 some eight kilometres from Orihuela. The argument is all about the origins of chess and which country can claim the honour of being the first to play the game. References have been studied between the years of 1283 and 1700 involving some 950 texts which have been put forward in evidence.
Apparently Spain can lay claim to being the first country to play draughts and for ten years students have been gathering evidence to support the theory that the first at draughts was also the first at chess. Their reasoning even takes account of the Royal houses of both Spain and England using the argument that as the Queen in a game of chess has more power than the King and as the game dates from about the fifteenth century when the Queen’s of Spain and England were more powerful, then the game must have originated in Spain. The other string contenders for the title are the Italians and the French and research is still continuing. As far as Beniel is concerned this is of some significance as the village plays host to chess tournaments and it would certainly enhance the event if it could be proved that Spain was in fact the country where chess was first played.
Beniel, however, is well used to legal argument and debate and under a lawsuit brought in the fifteenth century between the agriculturists and the cattle men they argued for centuries. The cattle men had always used the land until it was decided to divide and irrigate the land and use it for agricultural purposes which did not find favour with the cattle men. In fact the argument persisted for so long that in the end due to changed circumstances the land gradually proved to be more profitable as agricultural land, and a statue honouring the ‘Woman of the Garden’ stands in the main square.
In common with many villages the ownership of the village was fought and argued over many times but as it is located on the border between Murcia and Orihuela there were more factions for the villagers to contend with and because of this for centuries the village and villagers were badly neglected by the various dominating authorities from the Iberians, the Romans and the Muslims. Sadly, partially due to this neglect and the warring factions not much archaeological evidence exists from the various civilisations. The site of the border line was marked in the XV century by two pillars. The original pillars unfortunately no longer exist, but they were replaced during the reign of Carlos III in the XVIII century. However, in keeping with Beniel’s history these two have had to be replaced as they were so badly neglected. Known locally as ‘The Pinochos’ they stand guard at the entrance to the village from the Orihuela road.
However, today’s visitor will not see the evidence of the hardships which previous generations had to endure for Beniel is a delightful and typical Spanish town still taking the siesta hours very seriously. The Church of San Bartolomé built between 1725 and 1734 and the adjacent Ayuntamiento stand in the village square. The interior of the church is extremely beautiful and the Ayuntamiento, although modern stands in the place of what was once a palace. There is a local railway station with services between Beniel and Orihuela, with a small children’s play area which is worth a visit and a Casa Cultural.
There are shops, bars and restaurants and if you stop for lunch at about two o’clock it is extremely peaceful to sit outside in the autumn sunshine and absorb the calming atmosphere which seems to prevail. As with other towns and villages Beniel has its fiestas and feast days in honour of the patrol saint San Bartolome and these take place at the end of August and despite the fact that there was once a centuries long lawsuit there is still a cattle market.
The local gastronomy includes dishes consisting of both lamb and pork also on the list of local delicacies is blood sausages, garlic sausages and salami.
The village of Beniel has come through its tumultuous history to present to the visitor an attractive interesting place to visit and should not be missed.
Article provided by kind permission of The Leader Newspaper
Do you have property that you are trying to sell or rent in Beniel? Why not advertise on our busy website and get more exposure for your property? We have high rankings on Google and Yahoo for hundreds of popular and relevant search terms. For more details follow this link:- Advertise Beniel Property or e-mail Steve to ask for more information:- needahandspanishproperties@yahoo.co.uk
Whilst other countries argue and fight over many weighty issues, for ten years another battle has been raging and it affects the small village of Beniel, located on the on the CV-915 some eight kilometres from Orihuela. The argument is all about the origins of chess and which country can claim the honour of being the first to play the game. References have been studied between the years of 1283 and 1700 involving some 950 texts which have been put forward in evidence.
Apparently Spain can lay claim to being the first country to play draughts and for ten years students have been gathering evidence to support the theory that the first at draughts was also the first at chess. Their reasoning even takes account of the Royal houses of both Spain and England using the argument that as the Queen in a game of chess has more power than the King and as the game dates from about the fifteenth century when the Queen’s of Spain and England were more powerful, then the game must have originated in Spain. The other string contenders for the title are the Italians and the French and research is still continuing. As far as Beniel is concerned this is of some significance as the village plays host to chess tournaments and it would certainly enhance the event if it could be proved that Spain was in fact the country where chess was first played.
Beniel, however, is well used to legal argument and debate and under a lawsuit brought in the fifteenth century between the agriculturists and the cattle men they argued for centuries. The cattle men had always used the land until it was decided to divide and irrigate the land and use it for agricultural purposes which did not find favour with the cattle men. In fact the argument persisted for so long that in the end due to changed circumstances the land gradually proved to be more profitable as agricultural land, and a statue honouring the ‘Woman of the Garden’ stands in the main square.
In common with many villages the ownership of the village was fought and argued over many times but as it is located on the border between Murcia and Orihuela there were more factions for the villagers to contend with and because of this for centuries the village and villagers were badly neglected by the various dominating authorities from the Iberians, the Romans and the Muslims. Sadly, partially due to this neglect and the warring factions not much archaeological evidence exists from the various civilisations. The site of the border line was marked in the XV century by two pillars. The original pillars unfortunately no longer exist, but they were replaced during the reign of Carlos III in the XVIII century. However, in keeping with Beniel’s history these two have had to be replaced as they were so badly neglected. Known locally as ‘The Pinochos’ they stand guard at the entrance to the village from the Orihuela road.
However, today’s visitor will not see the evidence of the hardships which previous generations had to endure for Beniel is a delightful and typical Spanish town still taking the siesta hours very seriously. The Church of San Bartolomé built between 1725 and 1734 and the adjacent Ayuntamiento stand in the village square. The interior of the church is extremely beautiful and the Ayuntamiento, although modern stands in the place of what was once a palace. There is a local railway station with services between Beniel and Orihuela, with a small children’s play area which is worth a visit and a Casa Cultural.
There are shops, bars and restaurants and if you stop for lunch at about two o’clock it is extremely peaceful to sit outside in the autumn sunshine and absorb the calming atmosphere which seems to prevail. As with other towns and villages Beniel has its fiestas and feast days in honour of the patrol saint San Bartolome and these take place at the end of August and despite the fact that there was once a centuries long lawsuit there is still a cattle market.
The local gastronomy includes dishes consisting of both lamb and pork also on the list of local delicacies is blood sausages, garlic sausages and salami.
The village of Beniel has come through its tumultuous history to present to the visitor an attractive interesting place to visit and should not be missed.
Article provided by kind permission of The Leader Newspaper
Do you have property that you are trying to sell or rent in Beniel? Why not advertise on our busy website and get more exposure for your property? We have high rankings on Google and Yahoo for hundreds of popular and relevant search terms. For more details follow this link:- Advertise Beniel Property or e-mail Steve to ask for more information:- needahandspanishproperties@yahoo.co.uk
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