Village
Municipality of the comarca of Señorío de Molina, in the province of Guadalajara, constituted around 1139 as an independent lordship under Manrique de Lara and which took the surname de Aragón after swearing fealty to that crown in 1366, keeping its own fuero and a separate administration until 1813; its territory was organised into four sesmas, sixth-part districts — del Campo, del Sabinar, del Pedregal and de la Sierra — grouped in the Comunidad del Real Señorío y su Tierra, which still exists, and its cooking is recognised by kid stew scented with black truffle and by sweets such as patas de vaca and huevos de dulce.
Monument
The castle of Molina de Aragón, which overlooks the town from an ancient Celtiberian settlement, originated as an Andalusi alcázar in the 10th-11th centuries and was conquered and rebuilt in 1129 by Alfonso I of Aragon. With a perimeter of 800 metres, it has two defensive enclosures: the inner one once had eight towers, of which remains of two are preserved and another four stand in good condition, along with crenellated walls with a wall-walk, five access gates and the church of Santa María del Collado. Declared Monumento Nacional (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) on 3 June 1931, it is today visited in a state of consolidated ruin.
Monument
The monastery of San Francisco de Molina de Aragón was a Franciscan monastery founded in 1284 by Blanca Alfonso de Molina, lady of Molina and Mesa, granddaughter of King Alfonso IX of León, who arranged to be buried before the altar of Santa Isabel in the church, where her daughter Mafalda already lay. It was built in the suburb of San Francisco, outside the city walls. In the early 16th century, the guardian friar Gonzalo de Tarancón opposed the Franciscan reform of the Catholic Monarchs and Cardinal Cisneros, and shut himself in the building with his friars; in 1525 Charles V ordered their forced expulsion so the monastery could be handed over to the friars of the Regular Observance of Toledo. Today, beneath the weathervane known as the Giraldo, visible from all over the city, it houses a retirement home and the Regional Museum.
Monument
The Puente Viejo of Molina de Aragón, also called the Romanesque bridge, crosses the río Gallo in this town of the Señorío de Molina (Guadalajara). It was built between the 12th and 13th centuries, at the time of the borough's repopulation, with ashlars of reddish sandstone. It has three segmental arches, the central one larger than the other two, with cutwaters separating the spans and small turrets on one side. It links the suburb of San Francisco, where the monastery of the same name stands, with the historic centre, facing the Puerta de la Cava. Philip V paid for its repair when he visited the town, and in recent times it was restored, paved and fitted with bollards that keep vehicles out.
Monument
The church of San Gil, whose full name is Santa María la Mayor de San Gil, was one of the first churches built in Molina de Aragón after the reconquest of the lordship, in the 12th or 13th centuries; the original church was a simple Romanesque building with a tower so slender and leaning that it came to be compared with that of Pisa. Around 1524 work began on the present church, in late Gothic style with Renaissance influence, its walls and main chapel already built by the mid-16th century. In the 17th century it received the dedication of Santa María la Mayor, which it retains, and became the town's most important church: numerous noble families made donations, built chapels and chose it as their burial place, endowing it with altars and altarpieces, among them the notable altarpiece it still holds.
Curiosity
Archaeological site of a medieval Jewish settlement in Molina de Aragón, with visible excavations recalling its old Jewish and Moorish quarters. The municipality preserves a large part of its medieval heritage, including the remains of a synagogue and of the historic Jewish quarter that existed within the town.
Curiosity
Conquered by Alfonso I of Aragon in 1128, Molina was constituted as an independent lordship around 1139 under Manrique de Lara, and took the surname 'de Aragón' after swearing allegiance to the Crown of Aragon in 1366.
Activity
The Feria Medieval (Medieval Fair) of Molina de Aragón is held on the third weekend of June, in the historic center at the foot of its castle.
Activity
Molina de Aragón's patronal festivities in honor of the Cristo de las Victorias are held from the 30th of August to the 5th of September.
Activity
The Fiestas del Carmen of Molina de Aragón (Señorío de Molina, Guadalajara) are held on 16 July in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and have been declared of Regional Tourist Interest (an official regional tourism-interest designation).
Historical milestone
Since the Middle Ages, after the Señorío de Molina was established around 1139, its territory was organized into four sesmas -del Campo, del Sabinar, del Pedregal and de la Sierra- grouped under the Comunidad del Real Señorío y su Tierra. The institution administered communal woodlands and pastures and still exists today with the mayors of its villages.
Historical milestone
On the death of Blanca Alfonso de Molina, in 1293, the seigneury was tied by will to the Castilian crown. In 1321 the title came to form part of the royal patrimony definitively, although keeping its fuero and its own administration.
Historical milestone
The territory kept its medieval fuero and its distinct legal status until 1813, when it was dissolved and incorporated into the province of Guadalajara. The Statute of Autonomy of Castilla-La Mancha still mentions it as a singular historic territory.
Food and drink
Goats and sheep are the basis of Molina cooking, and in winter the kid caldereta is perfumed with the black truffle gathered in the holm oak and gall oak woods of the surroundings. It is stewed slowly, with onion, pepper and wine.
Food and drink
Molina baking is recognised by the patas de vaca, buns of sweet dough, by the huevos de dulce and by the fried milk. They are festival and pig-slaughter desserts, tied to the wood-fired oven, that the town's bakeries still make to order.