Peñíscola Castle Interiors

After passing through the castle gates, we will find ourselves in a gloomy room without windows, with cold weapons on the walls. The castle guards were stationed here.

Then we go to the courtyard of the castle, called Patio de Armas (courtyard of weapons).

Take the stairs to the second floor of the castle, in one of the preserved towers of the main portal. Here are the apartments of the "antipope" Benedict XIII (Palacio Papal), where he spent the last years of his life after his excommunication.

The schismatic bishop chose this room as a study for a reason - the window looks out towards Rome, as if to make it clear that he was supposed to be in the Vatican.

You can see that Benedict XIII lived very modestly, his private room is very small.

In the northern part of the courtyard is the entrance to the castle church, consecrated by the Templars in the name of the Virgin Mary.

When the castle became the refuge of Benedict XIII, the church became a papal basilica, as evidenced by its coat of arms on the pulpit.

A large marble plaque on the wall commemorates this period. Nearby you can see commemorative plaques in honor of the six-hundredth anniversary of the University of St. Andrew, opened in 1413 by Benedict XIII in Scotland.

To the left of the church is a kitchen with very simple utensils. The Templars were known for their moderate eating habits.

The kitchen was used as a washroom. In the corner there is a tripod, on which they hung a cauldron of water heated on the hearth.