The history of Benicàssim’s Tower of Saint Vincent in 150 pages

The Town Council is publishing a book by author Jose Francisco Albelda compiling all of the information on this BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural – good of cultural interest), in addition to photographs and historical documentation

Benicàssim, 28th of May 2022

Benicàssim’s Tower of Saint Vincent, built between 1597 and 1599, played a crucial role as part of the Kingdom of Valencia’s coastal defence system. In the year 2001, when it belonged to the Civil Guard, the Tower of Saint Vincent was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural and was subsequently acquired by Benicàssim Town Council in 2004. After restoration works and conversion in 2018, it became a visitor centre, with approximately 500 people coming to enjoy this emblematic space situated on the town’s coastline.

Now, all of this information, together with photographs and historical documentation, has been compiled in the book “Torre de Sant Vicent. Cuatro siglos defendiendo nuestras costas” (Tower of Saint Vincent, Four centuries defending our coastline”), written by Jose Francisco Albelda García and by published Benicàssim Town Council through the Tourism Department. The book has been illustrated by José Ramón Almeida Olmedo.

The book was presented this week and, as stated by mayoress Susana Marqués, “the Tower of Saint Vincent is an icon of Benicàssim, open to the public, and after the important renovation works that were completed in 2018, it has become a major part of what our town has to offer to tourists”.

The mayoress placed particular emphasis on the great historical and natural heritage that the town has, adding that “the Tower of Saint Vincent symbolises the strength with which we take on challenges so that our neighbours are met with a pleasant city with excellent quality of life”.

The councillor for Tourism, Cristina Fernández, has highlighted the importance that this monuments holds within the town’s tourism offering and that “every week, hundreds of visitors approach the tower to enjoy the augmented-reality experience offered inside, as well as to contemplate the beautiful views of our town from its terrace”. The book contains all the information “about this icon of Benicàssim, plus numerous photographs, historical elements and interesting facts about the renaissance tower, from its beginnings to its conversion into a visitor centre, displaying its numerous architectural features and details that make it unique”, added Fernández.

The author, Jose Francisco Albelda García, took the lead in explaining how the idea to publish this book, featuring an introduction to the context of piracy and coastal defence, details about its construction, interesting facts, its secrets and a wealth of historical documentation on the two towers that the local coastline had, was to turn this study into an informative work that could serve as a reference to its readers.