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Castle of Matrera

Villamartín, Sierra de Cádiz, Cádiz

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Activities

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Castle of Matrera

Monument · Villamartín, Sierra de Cádiz, Cádiz

The Castle of Matrera stands on the Cerro Pajarete, at 523 metres above sea level, in the municipality of Villamartín, and has been a Monumento Nacional (a heritage protection category that preceded the current Bien de Interés Cultural) since 1949 and a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) since 1985. It was built in the 9th century by Omar ibn Hafsun to defend Iptuci; conquered by Ferdinand III in the 13th century, it returned to Muslim hands and was reconquered by Alfonso XI in 1341, remaining on the border with the Nasrid kingdom of Granada, which besieged it several times in the 15th century. It thus watched over the southern border of the kingdom of Seville. It retains a walled enclosure of more than 500 metres with two gates flanked by towers and the keep to the north; one of its towers collapsed in 2013 and was restored in 2016 in a much-discussed intervention that went on to receive international architecture awards.

derrumbe parcial 2013

Photo: Ignacio Palomo Duarte (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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