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Castle of Castellote

Castellote, Maestrazgo, Teruel

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Nature · 2 Activities · 2 Historical milestones

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Castle of Castellote

Monument · Castellote, Maestrazgo, Teruel

A fortress probably of Arab origin, on a greyish crag overlooking the village of Castellote (Teruel), with views over the reservoir of the same name. The earliest references to the castle date from 1168, when it was reconquered by Alfonso II the Chaste. In 1188 its lord, Gascón de Castellot, donated it to the Order of the Holy Redeemer; when this order was dissolved it passed to the Templars and, after their suppression, to the Hospitallers of St John, who held it from 1317 to 1769. Of irregular plan with three stepped enclosures, it preserves the remains of four towers, among them a 24-by-6-metre keep with walls almost 3 metres thick. During the First Carlist War it was one of the strongholds of the pretender Don Carlos, and in 1840 it withstood a siege by Espartero's liberal troops that destroyed much of its defences.

Photo: Juan Carlos Gil (CC BY-SA 3.0 es)

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