Legends of Orihuela The Legend of Armengola

Only a woman had the strength and courage to command the weak and scanty forces of men who raised the cry of their freedom.
The night in which his Christian companions of Rabal Roig would have been murdered at the hands of the invading Arab.
Hermenegilda-Eugenia "the Armengola" nurse of the warden's children had in their hands the lives of their countrymen.
He preferred to betray his Moorish master rather than to see the blood of those whom he loved to be shed.
Thus he devised a plan worthy of a Greek epic.Instead of accompanying her daughters to the interior of the castle, two of the bravest men of the Christian side, disguised as they (Ruidoms and Juan de Arnúm), would kill the Moorish alderman Aben Mohor.
And just as they planned so it happened.
Sentinels from the guard posts fell under the edge of their knives.
And finally they ended the life of the one who wanted to do the same with theirs.
But when they reached the interior of the castle some lights in the sky were shown to give value to the feat.
Some holy forms were formed and the Christians vowed to see Santas Justa and Rufina.
And that infused more value for the fierce fight that maintained against the remaining Moors.
The courageous wife of Pedro Armengol, wielding arms and fighting like a man, did prodigies of valor.
Finally, the death of the alcalde, the taking of the castle at the hands of the Christians of Orihuela and the encounter with the saving army of king Don Jaime caused the Mudejar Moors to desist from their commitment to carry out the planned massacre.
And this became a tradition among its citizens and every year, in July are celebrated the Moors and Christians of the City of Orihuela which are the symbol of the Reconquest.
Therefore, the most important figure of Orihuela could be said to be the figure of the Armengola.
Each year an oriolana is selected to represent this figure.
It is surely the most important and emblematic person of our beloved city.
This year, 2012 the chosen one, I'm very happy to say, has my own blood.
My sister Mariola that knowing her would not have surprised me that she herself with her courage and courage would have been able to perform the feat in the dark epoch.

Legends of Orihuela: The Covenant of Theodomiro

Teodomiro was a Visigoth count, the general lieutenant of King Don Rodrigo.
He was charged with repelling the Muslims in the name of the king.
After the crushing victory obtained by the Moors, Teodomiro regrouped the dispersed troops visigodas and retreated towards the south east of the peninsula where it had an extensive patrimony.
It was there that he was proclaimed king.
Their lands extended throughout the region Auriolana and received the name of Country of Todmir.
Alb Ál Aziz at the head of the Muslim troops caused a second defeat to King Teodomiro who had no choice but to flee to the Castle of Orihuela.
The Muslim chronicles, when the King saw that the people he had in charge had no courage to defend themselves, since the number of casualties had been enormous, and hunger and weariness had wrought havoc among men, summoned the women of Oriola So that they dressed in the military clothes of the men and with the arms in hand they would be seen in the walls of the city mixed with the few soldiers that remained to be able thus to opt for a capitulation the most honorable possible.
Teodomiro posed as messenger and went to make a deal with the Moors in his own camp.
The Moors, surprised to see new troops of refreshment in the walls of Orihuela and discouraged before the growing legend that there inhabited an invincible soldier and soldier had no choice but to agree an advantageous treatise for Theodomiro.
The main thing that had been achieved was a pact of non-aggression by the Moors.
Once everything was signed, Teodomiro was discovered and the Moors felt cheated but had no choice but to respect the agreed pact.

Legends of Orihuela: The Legend of Loaces

The oral tradition tells that Loaces became ill with leprosy in a state so serious and accused that all those around him fled from him, including his relatives, friends and servants, in the fear that they might be infected by such horrible evil.
To all those whom he asked for their help, they rejected him and ran away from him because of the disgust he was giving them.
The Dominicans of Orihuela took pity on him and welcomed him into his convent.They gave him all kinds of attentions and care with such care and affection that a few months later he is said to have completely healed.
From that day, it was commented that the waters with which they had washed his body every day were blessed by the hands of God and that from then on would be considered the well of the orchard from where they had extracted them like miraculous.
A few years later, one of the students of the school was impressed by this legend and reflected in one of the novels that most pride the oriolanos:

 "The Leper Bishop."

The oral tradition tells that Loaces became ill with leprosy in a state so serious and accused that all those around him fled from him, including his relatives, friends and servants, in the fear that they might be infected by such horrible evil.
To all those whom he asked for their help, they rejected him and ran away from him because of the disgust he was giving them.
The Dominicans of Orihuela took pity on him and welcomed him into his convent.They gave him all kinds of attentions and care with such care and affection that a few months later he is said to have completely healed.
From that day, it was commented that the waters with which they had washed his body every day were blessed by the hands of God and that from then on would be considered the well of the orchard from where they had extracted them like miraculous.
A few years later, one of the students of the school was impressed by this legend and reflected in one of the novels that most pride the oriolanos:

 "The Leper Bishop."

Legends of Orihuela: The Legend of Formal Singing

In our land there is a legend that we know by the grace of the bishop of Leon D. Luis Almarcha.
During the site that Pedro the Cruel maintained to Orihuela in the war of the two Pedros, sent an emissary to parliamentar with the objective of obtaining our surrender.
The oriolanos, without even trusting the one sent by his enemy, blindfolded him and put him in the foral that is located behind the street above very close to the Santo Domingo School.
The hollows of the pierced stone were covered with thick curtains. And when he took the band to the emissary, he believed that he had been taken prisoner and left alone in a dungeon.
Outraged he shouted to the four winds that his lord would avenge him at that insult.
Then the oriolanos uncorked all the curtains and showed the splendor of the whole region.
The Castilian, was then much more annoyed and the question of what was the new reason for his indignation this replied:
"Because your charter has a more beautiful balcony than all of my kingdom, and this truth I must convey to my lord even at the risk of suffering his anger." -
The Lord of Orihuela thought for a moment and replied:
"Tell your king that while there is an unbroken sword in Orihuela, he will never step on this balcony." -
Once the city was defeated, the king wanted to add to his shield the "your swords have always prevailed" and respecting the oath of the oriolanos promised not to step on the balcony adding that "his name of Foral will be a reminder of the privileged jurisdiction That I give to Orihuela ...

The Legend of Oriol

At the beginning of time, this bird was a humble being that was part of a group of animals that were ungracious in their appearance.
When they saw themselves reflected in the waters near the river, they were disappointed and envied by the vivid colors of the rest of the creatures.
Unhappy with their sheath, they met in secret behind the Gods to whisper and planned to ask for an audience to expose their disenchantment by the bad aspect that they thought to have.
God came to his call and let them talk. But more than that, it was a lot of complaining and whining about animals that were unhappy with their appearance.
At the end of the exhibition, God kept silence making them feel very uncomfortable so that in that space they would reflect and think what they were expressing.
As no one seemed aware of the seriousness of the situation, God made a movement with his hand and the beings that had been grouped there rejoined.
God's eyes rested on a discreet bird of gray ash and black that had nothing to do with what had been derived there.
This animal that also wore sad and dull colors was considered satisfied with the miracle of having been created and had not wanted to participate in that exhibition.
Then God pointed it out with his finger and said,
- You, you're a good bird. From today you will become my messenger and you will wear the divine rays of my power and with them you will face the forces of darkness because you will be a symbol of thought among men and through you I will speak with them.
- Your only presence in the heavens will be a sign of good news.
And with that, God left as the rays of the sun touched the plumage of the Oriol and part of his body was dressed in a most beautiful golden color.

The Legend of the Virgin of Sorrows

It tells an old legend, that in the old Way of Cartagena, today highway of Arneva, at a distance of 1 km before arriving at Orihuela, was a farmer plowing the earth 21 of October of 1648 when it struck with its tool an object Solid that caught his attention.
He began to dig with great interest believing himself graced by an immense treasure to see that it was a chest.
When he managed to get it out of its place, he opened it carefully and looked with resentment at first, but joy after the chest hid the image of a virgin carved in wood and carrying in his arms a small creature that showed no signs of life on His lap
The image was transferred to the convent of San Sebastián where it would be worshiped until 1731.
It occurred that people were eagerly asking for the image to return to its place of origin, the place where it had been found initially. And so it was, moved to the edge of the road of Cartagena where a hermitage was built.
Since then, a pilgrimage began to take place back and forth from the chapel to the Church of Santa Justa and Rufina. During the month of September to celebrate the novena that coincides with the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin.
In 1926, this traditional pilgrimage was stopped to build in the place of the hermitage, one of greater capacity that could house more parishioners and be able to officiate mass.
From that year, the annual procession was celebrated by the roads and sidewalks that border the hermitage.
Unfortunately, in the Civil War, the original image was lost forever.
After the war, the echo of the tradition called to the doors of the families Illescas and Seva, of the way of Cartagena that defrayed the expenses to construct another Virgin of the Angustias with which to continue celebrating the cult.
We had to arrive at the year 2012 so that the traditional pilgrimage that transfers the image between the old hermitage and the Church of Santa Justa and Rufina can be completely recovered. And another procession of return the Night of Sorrow

The Legend of the Suicide

Based on a true testimony that an oriolano told the English and anticlerical traveler Henry D. Inglis in the year 1830 in one of his innumerable walks by the city.
A friar from a convent of Orihuela after being tempted by the pleasures of the flesh went up to the mountain to ask God to help him overcome such temptation.
Once he arrived at the place, the sexual images that tortured him repeated again and ignored the voice of God that began to sound inside him but that he was unable to hear and feeling warm in the skies that he seemed to be able to reach with the fingers of the Hand saw no other exit than to take off
The man let himself fall into the void, and it would all be over if the hand of God had not intervened since he sent two of his best angels to stop the fall of man.
A little later they appeared at the top of the steep cliff from where the friar jumped a wooden cross. And another below that appeared in the exact place where the angels deposited it so that it did not suffer any damage.
Several years later, the friar died of natural death and was buried at the foot of the second cross.