The Tower of Benavites

Declared a national historical-artistic monument in 1981, it is, in itself, the most emblematic building of Benavites and La Vall de Segó. Its exact dating is difficult, as its origin remains uncertain, much like the founding of the town of Benavites, which, as indicated by its toponym, likely originated as a Muslim farmstead. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the Tower was originally a Muslim watchtower, a structure with defensive and communicative purposes, located halfway between the fortified towns of Almenara to the North and Sagunto to the South.
It is also likely that after the Christian conquest by James I, who passed through these lands just before the capture of Sagunto and Valencia around 1238, and after the capitulation of Almenara, interventions and adaptations were made to the building to suit the needs of the new lords, as occurred in other known towers: Bétera, Paterna, Silla, etc. However, the Tower we know today features elements and a design that date it later, to the end of the 15th century or the early 16th century, hence, it is of Renaissance origin. The ceramic pavements, from Manises, are probably from the last third of the 15th century.
The tombstones with Hebrew characters, used both for the stones of the facade and for the lintels of the upper cornice, almost certainly come from the Jewish cemetery of Morvedre; it is unlikely that they were used before the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. Other signs of Italian Renaissance style appear in the plasterwork on the first floor, and the upper extension of the tower’s body, with a machicolation, shows the influence of this style, specifically Tuscan.
Its location within the urban development of Benavites supports both the hypothesis of the existence of a Muslim tower and the possibility of predicting the medieval town wall along the northern facade.