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Nules, in the Plana Baixa, is a market-garden and orange-grove town with a walled enclosure that can still be made out. Its story takes in a first mention in 1178, the grant to the Moncada family and a long lawsuit to return to royal jurisdiction.
The name first appears on 28 November 1178, in the endowment deed of Tortosa cathedral. In the area of the old castle, now La Vilavella, there are traces of earlier civilisations, and within Nules lies the Roman villa of Benicató, active between the 2nd century BC and the 4th century AD.
In 1238 the Muslims of Nules castle surrendered to James I. On 16 September 1251 the king gave the place to the nobleman Guillermo Ramón de Moncada, and on 20 August 1273 allowed him to bring water from the Mijares, which boosted the farmland and settlement. In 1316 James II confirmed the sale of the castle and its lands to Gilabert de Centelles.
In the mid-16th century the town fought a lawsuit against the Counts of Oliva, and on 24 September 1582 it managed to pass to royal jurisdiction. In 1709, after the War of the Spanish Succession, Maria Luisa Gabriela of Savoy granted it the titles «Muy Leal» and «Fidelísima».
Mascarell joined as a hamlet in the second half of the 19th century. In 1938, during the Civil War, the town was badly damaged and bunkers were built; in 1939 the beach was used as a concentration camp until it was dismantled.
Highlights include the walled enclosure of Mascarell, the former church of La Sangre (16th century), the Discalced Carmelite convent (17th century), the Calvario and the hermitage of San Miguel.
Text written by Zona Zero TV from public sources; early dates vary between authors. Sources: Nules (Hispanopedia, basado en Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Checked on 1/11/2026.
