Beniaján is a village located in the
Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia (, ; ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. The region is in area and had a popul ...
(
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
), beside the mountains that close the
Valley of Segura. It has a population of around 11,000, and is not far from the region's capital,
Murcia
Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...
.
Beniaján is known for the abundant production of citrus fruits that its factories export around the world; this is the most important economic activity in this city.
The town was founded during
Roman times
In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingd ...
. Since before the 18th century, the
''Virgen del Carmen'' has been the Patrona (patron saint) of Beniaján. A statue is carried in procession annually in celebration of her feast day.
Main sights
*San Juan Bautista's church and Patrona's Chapel (17th-20th centuries)
*Villanueva's church, Virgin of Azahar
*Mirador de San Antón (viewing point)
*
Puntarrón Chico, a rocky spur commanding the city, home to an
Argaric archaeological site
*Parque Regional de El Valle y Carrascoy (mountains and natural spaces with special protection)
Festivals
These are the main festivities of the town:
*San Antón, 17 January
*
Carnival
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Carnival typi ...
*
Easter
Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
*
Virgin of Azahar, 1 May
*
''Virgen del Carmen'', Patrona (patron saint) of Beniaján, 16 July
See also
*
El Argar
Sources
External links
Beniaján - Portal Ayuntamiento de Murcia'(in Spanish)''
Beniaján - Región de Murcia Digital''(in Spanish)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beniajan
Municipalities in the Region of Murcia