Lorca was a borderline town for 248 years. Christians from Lorca and Moors from Granada were fierce enemies, they hated each other.
In the early days of March, 1452 moors from the close Kingdom of Granada went through Lorca until they reached the countryside of Cartagena. Moors took booty; they took whatever they wanted, helped themselves.
Then the Magistrate of the Kingdom of Murcia wanted the troops of Lorca to help him; and the Mayor of Lorca decided to send troops from Lorca, Aledo and Caravaca de la Cruz.
The lorquina’s troops were waiting and hiding in a place called Los Alporchones, it is not far away from Lorca’s city centre (2 km approximately), close Viznaga watercourse.
When moors troops were returning to Lorca, both lorquinas and moors troops had a battle, they fought. It was 17th March, St. Patrick’s Day when Christian’s troops won the battle, because they were strong fighters. Lot of moors were taken as prisoners, and other were killed; the surviving moors fled to Vera, the Christian’s troops followed and caught them over there.
This Battle was so important that St. Patrick was declared Patron Saint of the Kingdom or Murcia and the Capital City of Murcia. Of course, nowadays it is the Patron Saint of the Local Police in Lorca and Murcia.
The Council and the Church of Lorca decided to build a church in honour of St. Patrick; it was a custom in that time. In thanking because it was thought that St. Patrick helped the Christian’s troops to win the Battle. And that is the reason why in Lorca it was built a Collegiate dedicated to St. Patrick.
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