Prehistory and antiquity
The caves of Morella la Vella hold rock paintings recognised as World Heritage. At the Mas Sabater site, in the Parreta quarry, remains of a 7th-century Visigothic settlement were found.
This page is only available in Spanish. View in Spanish
History of Morella
Morella is a walled town in the interior of Els Ports, crowned by a castle on a crag. It keeps rock paintings, medieval walls and the memory of a textile industry that lasted into the 20th century.
Walls and the Middle Ages
The Muslim walls were raised in 1084 and served as the base for later ones. In 1272 work began on the convent of San Francisco, consecrated in 1390. Between 1324 and 1330 the Christian walls were begun under master builder Aparisi Joan, and much of them went up in the 15th century. The town hall was begun in 1410 and finished late in that century.
Early modern period
On 28 June 1700 Pope Innocent XII granted the archpriest church of Santa María a bull of incorporation into the Basilica of St John Lateran.
19th and 20th centuries
In 1838, during the First Carlist War, the Carlists entered the castle. Around 1870 the Giner textile factory was founded; it peaked between 1870 and 1900, declined from 1917 and was legally dissolved in 1926. The castle has been a Historic-Artistic Monument since 3 June 1931.
Timeline
- 1084
- Muslim walls raised.
- 1272
- Convent of San Francisco begun.
- 1324-1330
- First works on the Christian walls.
- 28 June 1700
- Bull of Innocent XII for the archpriest church.
- 1838
- Carlists enter the castle.
- 3 June 1931
- Castle declared Historic-Artistic Monument.
Text written by Zona Zero TV from public sources; early dates vary between authors. Sources: Morella (Hispanopedia, basado en Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Checked on 1/11/2026.