What to do · Elche
Arab Baths and Clarisas Cultural Centre
Information
- Price
- €1 · free on Sundays
- Duration
- 30 min
- Season
- All year; closed on Mondays
- Who it's for
- For everyone
What it is
Beneath the former Clarisas convent, at Passeig de les Eres de Santa Llúcia, 14, the baths of the Islamic city are preserved, with their vaulted rooms. It is a short visit to fit in between the Calahorra and the basilica. Free on Sundays, from 10:00 to 14:00; Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00.
History
The baths were built around 1150 and for centuries were a hidden treasure: from the 13th century they went through several transformations until ending up as a lumber room and store for the convent. They were restored and opened to the public in 1998. They are in the basement of the former convent of La Merced, which the City Council exchanged in 2007 with the Poor Clare nuns who lived there for a new monastery. They are almost entirely preserved and are among the few examples of Islamic public architecture left in the Valencian Community.
In the Muslim city there were other baths, but these must have been the most important, because they stood next to the main mosque and the main gate of the wall, the Lucentina. Travellers arriving would bathe here before praying and entering the walled enclosure.
What you see
You enter from Passeig de les Eres de Santa Llúcia. Inside you walk through the three rooms of the hammam, cold, warm and hot, side by side, separated by arches and columns and covered with barrel vaults with skylights. The panels explain the temperature circuit, inherited from the Roman baths, and the role of the bath as a place for hygiene, rest and gathering. Half an hour is enough.
Tickets
General admission costs €1 and the reduced rate €0.50, for students, groups, Carnet Jove holders, pensioners and large families. It is free on Sundays and for children under 6. It is closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January. The €8 museum pass gives access to all the municipal museums and is bought at any of them. Phone: 965 452 887.
Two minutes away are the Calahorra Tower and the Basilica of Santa María, so the three visits can be combined in a morning.
With teenagers
