Torrent (; ) is a city located within the metropolitan area of the city of

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

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 ...

. It is the largest municipality of the

Horta Oest Horta Oest (, ; ) was a ''Comarques of the Valencian Community, comarca'' in the Provinces of Spain, province of Valencia (province), Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain. Municipalities

*Alaquàs *Aldaia *Manises *Mislata *Paterna *Pican ...

''comarca'', with 83,962 inhabitants (2020). It is situated some 7 km from Valencia city proper, to which it is connected via the metro. The two metro stations in Torrent are called ''Torrent'' and ''Torrent Avinguda'' on lines 1, 2 and 7. It is bordered by Aldaia,

Alaquàs Alaquàs (; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Horta Oest Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' in the Valencia (autonomous community), Valencian Community. Etymology The town's name is of Arabic origin, coming from ' ...

and Xirivella in the north, Picanya and Catarroja in the east, Alcàsser and Picassent in the south and

Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...

, Godelleta, Turís and Xiva in the West. All of the cities are part of the

province of Valencia Valencia ( , ), officially València (), is a provinces of Spain, province of Spain, in the central part of the autonomous Valencian Community. Of the province's 2.7 million people (2024), almost one-third live in the capital, Valencia, whic ...

Geography

There are only a few remarkable mountains in the municipal territory: El Vedat (142 m), Morredondo (157 m), Barret (142 m), Cabeçol de l'Aranya (228 m) and the Serra Perenxisa (329 AMSL). About a 20% of the territory is mountainous. Torrent is crossed by a gully ('' Barranc de Torrent'') which flows into the Albufera lagoon and estuary.

History

The village of Torrent was officially founded by people of European ancestry in 1248, after the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

although the tower and its fortification were built several centuries earlier. Archaeological research suggests that there were inhabitants in the zone in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. It was originally a fief of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

Main sights

The Medieval Tower

The Medieval Tower was built by the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

and was part of an ancient castle. It was double-walled and had some underground passages. The tower, which lies in a square, has a truncated pyramid shape and is 30 metres high, with 5 floors and a terrace where The Cross of the St. John of Jerusalem order and a Valencian "rat penat" can be seen at the four upper corners. Access to the tower is through an exterior staircase connecting to a door at the first floor. Around 1613 porticoes were built around to house a market around the tower. In 1847 it became the property of Torrent. The tower has often been used as a prison throughout its history, and the porches have hosted the Courts in its upper floors since 1908 (when new ones were built). The porticoes were demolished in 1970. After its restoration, the Tower houses two exhibition halls.

Sant Lluís Bertran's Hermitage

The shrine dedicated to Saint Lluís Bertran is a traditional and renowned church in Torrent, as festivities of Sant Blai among others are held in the hermitage. In 1634 the City Council agreed to build the chapel dedicated to Saint Lluís Bertran. Following many changes and reconstructions the church was used for military purposes during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

and was finally restored after that conflict. Internally, it consists of a nave and two sides. The neoclassical facade is divided into three parts. The door has an archivolt, with St. Lluis' image and a large rosette appearing over the door. The bell tower has a hexagonal base and was finished in 1829. It has four bells and a clock with three spheres, installed there in 1950.

Església de l'Assumpció

The parish church of Nostra Senyora de l'Assumpció was built in the 13th century, in the same place as the current one, but much smaller. Its rector attended the diocesan synods in the fourteenth century. An image of the "Verge del Pòpul", which disappeared in 1936, was likely the main image in the ancient parish. It has had many fires and thefts with the result that the church that exists nowadays has had many restorations and modifications.

Local politics

Until 2007, the mayor was supplied by the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( , PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social democratic Updated as required.The PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * List of political parties in Spain, political party ...

(PSOE) who controlled the local council either alone or with the support of smaller left wing parties. The People's Party had majority control of the council from 2007 to 2015. Since 2015, the mayor has been Juan Jesús Ros Piles of the PSOE, who have governed in a minority administration with the support of

Coalició Compromís Coalició Compromís (, ), also known as Compromís,Ávila López, E. (2016) ''Modern Spain'', p. 85 is a Valencianist electoral coalition in the Valencian Community, Spain. The parties involved include Més-Compromís, the left-wing Valencia ...

Summary of council election results

Source:Torrent local results, argos.gva.es
accessed 23 July 2020

Twin towns

* Benalup-Casas Viejas, Spain * Gharb, Malta * Zebbug, Malta

Notable people

* Paco Alcácer, footballer *

Vicente Guaita Vicente Guaita Panadero (; born 10 January 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Celta. He appeared in 176 La Liga matches over eight seasons with Valencia and Getafe, as well as a season on ...

, footballer * Pedro López Muñoz, footballer * Roger Martí, footballer

References

External links

*
Federació Esportiva Municipal de Torrent
Local Sports Federation {{Navboxes , title = Articles related to Torrent / Torrente , list = {{Horta Oest {{Municipalities in Valencia, state=autocollapse {{Authority control Municipalities in the Province of Valencia Horta Oest 1248 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Aragon