Mons. Victorio Oliver Domingo

Beniel, in the Region of Murcia, dates back to the Moorish conquest of the area, although its population did not become consolidated until the 17th century. Throughtout its history, Beniel has been associated with important characters such as the Banu Yah'ya tribe, Gil Rodriguez de Junteron or Gil Francisco Molina de Junteron, who gave the town its final impetus and was named Marquis of Beniel in 1709, a title his family would hold until the 19th century. The surrounding Beniel landscape is shaped by the river network making up the River Segura irrigation.

The element that best sums up Beniel's past and present are the two boundary stones called Mojones del Reino (popularly known as "Los Pinochos"), which mark the border between Castile and Aragon after the Torrellas-Elche Treaty and currently sets the boundary between the provinces of Murcia and Alicante. I did not make the detour to see these, but a stock photo is shown below.

The Christian king Jaime I conquered the city during the Mudéjar revolt of 1264–66. Jaime I took the Great Mosque or Aljamía to consecrate it to the Virgin Mary; a custom he put in place when he conquered any settlement. However, it was not until the 14th century that construction of the cathedral would begin. In 1385 work on the foundations started and in 1388 the first stone was laid. Another six years passed until constructions upwards continued; the cathedral would be finished in October 1467. Nevertheless, the cathedral continued to evolve until the 18th century, demonstrating a variety of artistic styles. The interior is largely Gothic in style; the facade is Baroque and it was designed by the Valencian architect and sculptor Jaume Bort i Meliá.

The heart and the entrails of King Alfonso X the Wise are buried under the main altar of the cathedral, as he indicated in his testament, as a gift and proof of his love to Murcia and in thanks to the fidelity that the city showed to him.

In 1854 the cathedral suffered a terrible fire that destroyed the high altar and the choir stalls. The repair works consisted in the creation of a new neo-Gothic altarpiece (work of the sculptors Pescador and Palao), and the commission of a majestic organ, undertaken by the Belgian firm Merklin-Schütze. Under the organ 16th-century plateresque chairs from the Monastery of Santa Maria de Valdeiglesias were installed, a donation made by Queen Isabel II to the cathedral.

The bell tower, built between 1521 and 1791, stands 90 metres tall. It is the tallest campanile in Spain. It ascends in five levels of different widths. The tower also combines a variety of styles.

• The first level, made by Francisco and Jacobo Florentino, has a square plant with Renaissance style and ornamentation influenced by the Hispanic Plateresque.
• The second body, made by Jerónimo Quijano, has the same style but it is more purist.
• The third floor, with Baroque style, has the body with Rococó style and the cupola, drawn up by Ventura Rodríguez, with Neoclassic style.
• In the fourth floor, there are four conjuratories. Located in each corner, special ceremonies were conducted in them by priests to ward off storms by means of the Lignum Crucis.