Legend has it that outside the walls of Valencia, on the banks of the river, lived the danger and nightmare of the city: a beast to which they gave the name of dragon. Sent by God to punish sinners and bandits, this reptile devoured one person every day in its jaws.
The Dragon Menace
The story was told by the famous Valencian writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez in the newspaper Pueblo on January 6 , 1901. According to his account, the gates of the city were closed every day to protect the Valencian protect the Valencians from the terrible bites of the animal. Prizes and rewards were offered for whoever managed to bring it down, but all those who tried ended up devoured by the dragon.
The City in Despair
Depressed, the city finally gave in and accepted that there were no braves left among its own. They resigned themselves to the idea that only the natural death of the beast would rid them of its threat. However, hope was reborn when the city ‘ s courts sentenced an unknown man to death, a mysterious Jew who had traveled the world and spoke remote languages.
The Mysterious Stranger
Sentenced to death by hanging, the stranger begged for mercy and clemency and offered to kill the dragon in the dragon in exchange for his life to be spared. The city, although skeptical, accepted the trade. The condemned man asked for a week to prepare for combat and locked himself in a house with a good fireplace. locked himself in a house with a good fireplace, requesting a load of broken glasses and old bottles.
The Battle with the Dragon
The prisoner left the house on the appointed day, armed with a spear and covered with clothes, ready to face the monster. Arriving next to the dragon, the prisoner threw off his robes, revealing a mirrored armor that flashed sunlight. The beast, frightened by the glaring figure, backed away. In an instant of defense, the condemned man thrust the spear between the dragon ‘s jaws, saving Valencia.
The Mysterious Disappeared
The victor was acquitted and disappeared into history just as he had arrived, shrouded in the strangest mystery. The remains of the beast are in the Royal Seminary College of Corpus Christi or the Patriarch, erected at the request of the patriarch San Juan de Ribera, at the end of the 16th century.
The Patriarch’s Crocodile
On one of the walls of the Royal College hangs the river crocodile, symbol of terror and silence. The children of Valencia have ever heard the ancestral threat “si parleu, a la panxa vindreu” (if you speak, you will cometo the panxa ), that mothers repeat to ask the little ones to be quiet during celebrations and rites. to be very quiet during the celebrations and rites.
Another Version of History
There is another version that assures that the alligator that guards the solemnity of the chapel was actually a gift from the Viceroy of Peru to the Patriarch. was actually a gift from the Viceroy of Peru to the Patriarch. He sent two specimens, which the Patriarch raised in his gardens until they died. The one that is hanging was named Lepanto, in memory of the battle. The second, a female, disappeared during the Civil War.
The Legacy of Valencia
Our hospitality is animated by the essence of Valencia, a city open to the world through the sea, and heir to a legendary past. The memory of the dragon presides over our house, have you met him yet?
