The chapels must not be forgotten either:
Santa Maria Magdalena del Castell Vell,
Font de la Salut, Sant Jaume de Fadrell,
Sant Isidre and Sant Pere de Censal, Sant
Nicolau del Barri, Sant Francesc de la Font
and Sant Josep del Censal. Mare de Déu
del Lledó Basílica deserves
a special mention. It was built between
1734 and 1766 on the same location where
there once were three sanctuaries at different
times. Its museum has images from the 16th
and 18th centuries.
El Grau
and its beaches
4 km away from the town is Castellón’s
port El Grau, around which a tourist area
has been built. El Grau includes a fishing
port, marina, commercial docks and Nautical
Club.
Pinar beach is in the tourist section and
has residential areas, a promenade, a Planetarium
with a dome 25 metres high, an 18-hole golf
course and an airfield. One of the best
trips from the port takes us to the Columbrete
Islands (see the article on Natural Areas).
On the outskirts El Molí-La Font
or La Magdalena chapel is worth visiting.
The festivities
celebrating the creation of the town
Castellón’s main “fiestas”
celebrate the creation of the town and take
place around the third Sunday in Lent. La
Magdalena week starts with the Pregó
parade and the streets are taken over by
the emblematic “gaiates”. The
parade’s main characteristic is that
all the towns in the province are represented.
The main event is the romería de
las Cañas procession, leading to
the Magdalena chapel which is located on
top of a mountain outside the town. The
procession commemorates the relocation of
the first settlers to the current town.
The Magdalena week ends when the queen of
the fiestas shouts: «Vítol!»
in front of a multitude of citizens gathered
at Plaza Mayor.
|