Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Alborea

What to see and do in Alborea (La Manchuela, Albacete): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 2 Activities · 1 Curiosities

When to go to Alborea: festival calendar

April: Pilgrimage of el Primero de Mayo de Alborea (April 30 and May 1)
September: Festivities of la Natividad de Alborea (September 8)

How far each place is from the centre of Alborea

Church of Nuestra Señora de la Natividad de Alborea 2.7 km

Towns near Alborea

What to see in Villatoya 5.4 km · 7 places
What to see in Casas-Ibáñez 7.6 km · 11 places
What to see in Casas de Ves 8.2 km · 6 places
What to see in Alcalá del Júcar 13 km · 14 places
What to see in Villa de Ves 14 km · 7 places
What to see in Fuentealbilla 15 km · 7 places
What to see in Villamalea 15 km · 9 places
What to see in Abengibre 16 km · 5 places

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Albacete › La Manchuela › Alborea

What to see and do in Alborea

Alborea
Village
Alborea is a municipality in the district of La Manchuela, in the province of Albacete, with 664 inhabitants, at 700 metres above sea level, between the hills of the south of the district and the depression of the Cabriel river, which marks the northern boundary of its territory with the Valencian Community. Its name comes from the Arabic Al-Burayat, "the little tower", after a Muslim tower that watched over the route between Albacete and the Levante, possibly located where the bell tower of the church of the Natividad now stands. Resettled by Alfonso VIII from 1211, it remained a hamlet of the council of Alarcón until it became part of the State of Jorquera in 1226 and, later, of the marquisate of Villena. It retains a Roman bridge and the church of the Natividad, from the 16th-18th centuries, known as the cathedral of La Manchuela.
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Natividad de Alborea
Monument
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Natividad, in Alborea, is popularly known as the Cathedral of La Manchuela because of its large proportions. Its construction took place between the 16th and 18th centuries, which explains the difference in architectural concept between the chancel and the naves, Baroque in style though with a ribbed vault that harks back to an earlier period. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) on 8 October 1991. Notable is its large chamfered apse, of Andalusian Baroque inspiration, whose design contrasts with naves reduced in height and length. The chancel, of central plan, has a vault of four quadrilobed bays over pilasters with Corinthian capitals, and among its side chapels one stands out with a camarín painted with 18th-century Marian frescoes.
Roman bridge of Alborea
Monument
The Roman bridge of Alborea, preserved in very good condition, crosses the Cabriel river, a natural border between this Albacete municipality and the Valencian Community. It is one of the few remaining witnesses in the Manchuela region of the old communication routes of Roman Hispania.
Cabriel River in Alborea
Nature
The Cabriel, one of the cleanest rivers in Europe, marks the northern boundary of the municipal district with the Valencian Community. Its stretches, classified as trout waters, are home to rainbow trout, barbel, pike and eel.
Festivities of la Natividad de Alborea
Activity
The festivities of the Natividad of Alborea (Albacete), in honour of Nuestra Señora de la Natividad, are celebrated over five days around 8 September, the date on which the procession and the offering of flowers to the Virgin take place. The programme opens with an inaugural cavalcade in which floats and costumed groups parade, and is rounded out with games, contests, open-air dances, music and dancing, during the village's main festivities.
Pilgrimage of el Primero de Mayo de Alborea
Activity
A celebration that begins on 30 April with the singing of mayos to the Virgin and continues the following day with the carrying of the Virgen del Carmen to the spot known as La Cañada.
Al-Burayat, the little tower
Curiosity
The municipality's name comes from the Arabic Al-Burayat, the little tower, alluding to a Muslim watchtower that may have stood near the present church. Alfonso VIII resettled the place in 1211.