Borriana: from the medieval Templat to the Clot riverside wood

Borriana has a historic centre distinct from the Grau district and coastal wetland. El Salvador Basilica, the bell tower known as El Templat and Modernista houses are explored in town. Clot de la Mare de Déu, Torre del Mar, the harbour and Arenal beach require a journey towards the coast.

The photograph shows El Templat

El Salvador Basilica originated in the thirteenth century as one of the first Romanesque-Gothic churches raised after James I’s conquest. The detached fifteenth-century bell tower known as El Templat is the main structure in the image; a dome of the complex appears behind it. Basilica and tower belong to the protected historic centre.

The houses reflect the orange trade

The expanding citrus trade encouraged Modernista homes around the centre in the early twentieth century. This architecture provides more tangible urban evidence than a generic reference to “orange tradition”. Some heritage spaces are seen through organised visits; this review does not confirm interior opening.

The Clot is a wetland, not a beach

Clot de la Mare de Déu Municipal Natural Area protects 17.84 hectares at the mouth of the River Anna. It preserves riverside woodland with poplars, willows, reeds and rushes as well as aquatic birds and reptiles. A marked path crosses the area, but its condition and guided activities should be checked with municipal sources.

Torre del Mar stands beside the Clot and recalls the historic surveillance of the coast. Arenal beach and the harbour occupy the nearby seafront without forming part of the protected wetland. Choose between town and coast according to available time, and respect signs, wildlife and weather conditions.