Torre de la reina José Salvador González-Moreno

Compulsory piece for LXXVI Certamen Nacional de Bandas de Música Ciutat de Cullera 2024

Origin and Legend of the Torre de la Reina Mora de Cullera

The Torre de la Reina Mora, or Moorish Queen's tower, was originally one of the entrance towers to the second ring of city walls, or the castle's albacara. In the 17th century, after centuries of military inactivity and in a significant state of abandonment, it became a hermitage. The name Santa Anna comes from the patronage under which the hermitage was named, first dedicated to Saint Raphael and later Saint Anne.

Like many emblematic buildings, the tower has its own legend, which tells that a Moorish woman married to a rich merchant whom she despised fell in love with the son of the qadi, or Islamic judge. Over time, the lovers concocted a plot to kill her husband. But a parrot that the rich merchant had brought from distant lands revealed the lovers' plan to his owner, and finally they themselves were executed for their deceit.