Castle-Palace of the Counts of Cervellón (Anna)

The Castle-Palace of Anna, classified as an asset of cultural interest, takes its name from the Counts of Cervellón, as it was the palace of this family: the family that possessed the county of Anna at the start of the 19th century, before feudal rights were abolished. However, before that it was a Moorish fortress in the period of the Almohad Empire (12th-13th centuries), and a stately fortress of the Order of Santiago, belonging to the Vilanova family, the Borja family, the Pujades family and the Coloma family, the counts of Elda, from the 13th to the 18th centuries.

The original building was a tower complex with an albacar-shelter enclosure, made with walls of Moorish rammed earth, as can be seen in the foundations at the back of the property. These walls underwent few renovations until the title of count was obtained by Ferran Pujades de Borja, in 1604. Then, a thorough refurbishment was undertaken which transformed the castle into a residential palace.

It seems that the house-palace did not suffer significant damage in the earthquake of 1784, whose epicentre was in Montesa-Estubeny. In 1885, significant restoration work was carried out on the Count’s Palace financed by Cruz Navarro Sarrión, as reflected in an oil painting on canvas that was kept in the sacristy of the parish church of Benetúser, representing San Vicente Ferrer above the building with scaffolding in place. Five years later, in 1890, the counts of Cervellón sold their properties to Ricardo Trénor Bucelli, a bourgeois millionaire of Irish descent, whose descendants negotiated the sale to the Council in 1980. Decades later (2000-2005), an employment workshop and a workshop-school were engaged to refurbish the building and train professionals from the municipality, of different ages and professions. Simultaneously, the work was completed with an architectural restoration, and décor from the Moorish tradition, this work was carried out by Muslim craftsmen (2006-2007).

Inside, the origins of the municipality can be discovered at the Water Museum in the cistern, where information panels describe how water plays a part in the town’s heritage. The “old” ways of life are recreated through objects donated by the neighbourhood on display in the Ethnological Exhibit in the stables (farm implements, furnishings, tools from different traditional occupations, etc.). The medieval past with the Almohad presence takes centre stage in the Arabic courtyard and halls, where the star-shaped fountains and the sound of water, along with the plaster work, marble, wooden coffered ceilings and glazed ceramics, recreate the splendour of the building’s Moorish décor.

The Modern Age takes centre stage in the vaulted space of the Sala Borja hall, which houses the Chapel of Santa Ana (15th- 16th centuries) and the Sala Cervellón hall (17th-18th centuries) lined with mouldings, marble and baroque paintings, without forgetting to show the essence of the Almohad castle it once was, with its foil windows and patrolled walkway.
The Sala de Anna hall commemorates the town’s most recent past, it recalls its illustrious figures and discusses the studies that have been carried out into local history and heritage.

The objects on display, décor and furnishings in the rooms, the display cabinets and information panels, are complemented with screenings in different rooms, which, alongside explanations from the guides, help to bring visitors closer to the history of Anna and the Castle-Palace of the Counts of Cervellón.