Alcoy is the region’s industrial centre, and among its main monuments
are the Church of Santa María, a Baroque building constructed in
1725, decorated and embellished in the 19th century, and the Convent of
San Agustín, founded by the wife of Roger de Lauria; of its original
church, only the side entrance and lantern remain. The interior was rebuilt
in the 18th century, and contains several 16th century paintings. The old
cloister now forms part of the Plaza del Mercado.
Coming to Onil, we can admire the parish church, built by Pedro Cambra
in 1614, and which contains a statue of Christ clothed in a purple is Castalla
Castle, which was never finished. Ten kilometres from Onil is that of Biar.
This was originally an Arab castle, circular in shape, at whose feet the
village of the same name grew up. The parish church here, attributed to
Francisco de Colonia, is also interesting. Its Plateresque front is one
of the most beautiful of Levante Renaissance works. The chancel and its
reredos and the tower are, on the other hand, Baroque in style, built at
the beginning of the 18th century. We now come to the town of Villena, dominated by its noble castle. As a
consequence of the Reconquest, Villena was the centre of a large fief.
The origins of the castle go back to Moorish times, although it was extensively
altered in the 15th century. It has two walled enclosures, and a splendid
keep. Also in Villena is the Church of Santiago a late 15th-century Gothic
building, and the Church of Santa María, mostly 16th-century, with
Gothic vaults and a Baroque front.
The town hall, reconstructed in 1707 by Cosme Carreras, shows Renaissance
features decorated by Jacopo Lazzaro Torni, known in Spain as Jacobo Florentino.
The Archaeological Museum is installed here, with the famous Villena Treasure,
which consists of examples of Bronze Age craftsmanship in precious metals.
Alcoy is the region’s industrial centre, and among its main monuments
are the Church of Santa María, a Baroque building constructed in
1725, decorated and embellished in the 19th century, and the Convent of
San Agustín, founded by the wife of Roger de Lauria; of its original
church, only the side entrance and lantern remain. The interior was rebuilt
in the 18th century, and contains several 16th century paintings. The old
cloister now forms part of the Plaza del Mercado. 
We now come to the town of Villena, dominated by its noble castle. As a
consequence of the Reconquest, Villena was the centre of a large fief.
The origins of the castle go back to Moorish times, although it was extensively
altered in the 15th century. It has two walled enclosures, and a splendid
keep. Also in Villena is the Church of Santiago a late 15th-century Gothic
building, and the Church of Santa María, mostly 16th-century, with
Gothic vaults and a Baroque front.