Pre-Roman Age '' mosaic (3rd century). Under Llíria lie the ruins of what was one of the most important
Iberian cities in Spain. The city was then known as Edeta and it was the administrative centre of Edetania, an extensive territory between the rivers
Júcar / Xúquer and / Riu Palància. Edeta was built on a hilltop known as Sant Miquel, which overlooks the modern city. The city was moved downhill to its current location by
Quintus Sertorius after Roman troops destroyed the town in 76 BC.
Roman Age church (17th century). Under the
Romans, Llíria was as important as Valencia or
Sagunt. The town is very rich in Roman finds, including a large Roman leisure centre with a temple, shops, pools, and hot baths. Recent archaeological excavations have uncovered one of Spain's largest-ever caches of buried coins. Popularly known as the
Treasure of Carrer Duc de Llíria, it totals some 6,000 silver
denarii minted in the first and third centuries. Another archaeological find was a
mosaic of
The Twelve Labours of
Hercules, which was excavated from a
Domus Romana (Roman home) at Can Porcar or Casa de Porcar (Porcar House) in Llíria. It is currently displayed at the
National Archaeological Museum of Spain (in
Madrid). Additionally, Llíria's own archaeological museum contains imagery from its original location including details of each of the labors along with other Roman artifacts from the town.
Medieval Period The first church in Llíria was built in 1238 by King
James I of Aragon, after his victory over the
Moors and the conquest of the Valencian region. The Church of the Blood (
església de la Sang) was built on the site of a
mosque and is a typical example of
Valencian Gothic architecture with Roman and Valencian influences. Some remains of the original mosque can still be seen. In 1919 the church was gazetted as a National Monument and was the first religious monument in the Valencian Community to receive this distinction. The church was recently restored and opened to the public. ==Climate==