As numbers grew it became necessary to have a meeting place for all the “festers/es” of Cocentaina. To this end a house was acquired in the town center under the presidency of Mr. Jose Miguel LOPEZ in July 25th 1988.
The “Fester” house (7 Santos Piedra Street) is a building from the end of the XVI or beginning of the XVII century. In 1855 the house is first documented in the Property Registry.
The house had many owners until acquired by the Federation. In 1996 it was handed over to the City Hall. Of historical note the house was used for accommodation by the Spanish Prime Minister (1910-1912), Mr. Jose CANALEJAS, in all his visits to the town.
The house has four floors and a basement which have been restored and rebuilt over time. In 1989 when Mr. Rafael GADEA was the Mayor and Mr. Jose Miguel LOPEZ the President of the Federation, the first phase of reconstruction was inaugurated. Next, under the Federation presidency of Mr. Vicente BARRACHINA, the second phase (1st floor and entrance) began in 1992 and in 1993 the façade. In 1995 the basements (wine cellar and stables) were restored under the presidency of Mr. Jaime MONTAVA. Finally, on May 6th 2000 coinciding with the celebration of the IV Century election of St. Hippolyte as patron saint of Cocentaina, the last remodeling (2nd and 3rd floor) was completed under the presidency of Mr. Marco A. GINER. The last restoration works were done while Mr. José MARSET was the Mayor of Cocentaina.
The façade alone reveals some of the former grandeur of the “Fester” House. To the right we can see a ceramic work by Mrs. Ma Luz MORANT, an artist from Cocentaina; and on the left side, there is the official emblem of the Federation “Junta de Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos”, created by the Cocentaina sculptor Mr. Vicente de Paul AGULLÓ.
As one enters the hallway a spectacular arch, which was discovered while doing the restoration work, is revealed. The 1st floor houses a museum which contains a variety of artistic works from our town; paintings, sculptures, etc. created by artists from Cocentaina. Here too one can find some works of Cocentaina composer Mr. Jose PEREZ VILAPLANA. The Federation “Junta de Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos” has its offices here and uses part of this floor to have its meetings. The stone emblem of the Federation, as well as images of the Cocentaina patron saint, are found on the 1st floor. From the 1st floor one can also access the old wine cellar and stables; also located here is a sculpture of the Patron Saint that was used by the artist Ana REIG as a model to create the monument located in the “Alcalde Reig” Square.
The central stairs lead to the second floor where one can admire an exhibition of different costumes employed by the “Capitanes” and “Abanderados” over the years. In this room the Musical Archives of the festival (“Archivo de Música Festera”) may be found. This archive was inaugurated in May 1999 and contains 500 plays written by composers from Cocentaina. One of the most famous works is “Paquito El Chocolatero” from Mr. Gustavo PASCUAL FALCÓ. Annual posters designed to advertise the festival are also collected here.
The third floor is called the ´room of the windows´ (“Sala de Les Finestres”) and it is used to hold meetings and exhibitions. The white weapons private collection of Mr. Marcos GARCIA (with artifacts from between the XVII and XIX centuries) is also housed here. The fourth floor holds the Festival Archives and is where the “Junta General de Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos” hold their meetings.
This “Fester” House illustrated here in the pictures is the result of a team effort between companies and individuals that made the conversion possible and established a symbol for all the “festers/es”.
