Nicolás Perich was the warden and defender of Alicante’s Santa Bárbara Castle.
When the fortress was under threat, he refused to surrender it to Aragon because he had sworn loyalty “fidelitas” to his Castilian lord.
His loyalty was so strong that when the walls fell, he fought to defend the castle, stone by stone. During the battle, he wounded Don Berenguer, a friend of King James II. Berenguer stepped in to protect his king, saving James’s life but causing Perich’s death.
Perich’s body was found on the cold floor, still holding his sword in one hand and the keys to the fortress in the other. He refused to surrender even in death. The soldiers had to cut off his hand to take the keys, and his body was torn apart and given to the dogs.
This harsh history lives on in the castle’s coat of arms, a severed hand clutching keys.
From this story, many legends have grown. One says that as long as the stone hand holds the keys, Alicante cannot be conquered. The fortress has never fallen. Not to the English during the War of Succession, nor to Napoleon’s troops in the early 1800s.
Another tale claims that every year, on the anniversary of that battle, you can hear the sounds of horses, swords, and battle cries at dawn.
The most romantic legend is that Nicolás Perich still watches over Alicante. When the city is in danger, they say his ghost appears. He is dressed as on that fateful day, giving orders to defend the city.
