Logbook · 12 places

What to see and do in El Puente del Arzobispo

What to see and do in El Puente del Arzobispo (La Campana de Oropesa, Toledo): 12 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 5 Monuments · 1 Activities · 4 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

When to go to El Puente del Arzobispo: festival calendar

November: Festivities of Santa Catalina (24 y 25 de noviembre)

How far each place is from the centre of El Puente del Arzobispo

Convent of los Franciscanos de El Puente del Arzobispo 450 m

Towns near El Puente del Arzobispo

What to see in Alcolea de Tajo 2.3 km · 9 places
What to see in Azután 4.4 km · 8 places
What to see in Torrico 5.2 km · 7 places
What to see in Valdeverdeja 6.4 km · 9 places
What to see in Navalmoralejo 7.5 km · 7 places
What to see in Caleruela 11 km · 4 places
What to see in Villar del Pedroso 11 km · 7 places
What to see in Herreruela de Oropesa 11 km · 8 places

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Toledo › La Campana de Oropesa › El Puente del Arzobispo

What to see and do in El Puente del Arzobispo

El Puente del Arzobispo
Village
Municipality of the comarca of La Campana de Oropesa, in the province of Toledo, born around the Gothic ashlar bridge that the archbishop of Toledo Pedro Tenorio had built over the Tagus in 1380 and which remains in use; with barely 0.98 square kilometres it is the smallest municipality in Castilla-La Mancha in extent, and its craft processes of Talavera-style ceramics were inscribed by UNESCO in 2019 on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, a trade to which it devotes an interpretation centre with a potter's kiln of the early twentieth century.
Bridge of el Arzobispo sobre el Tajo
Monument
A Gothic ashlar bridge commissioned in 1380 by the Archbishop of Toledo Pedro Tenorio, with eight original arches to which three more were added in the 18th century to prevent flooding. It remains in use six centuries later.
Convent of los Franciscanos de El Puente del Arzobispo
Monument
A 17th-century conventual church, the only surviving trace of the convent of the Discalced Franciscans of El Puente del Arzobispo. It was built between 1617 and 1620, funded by the hidalgo Juan de Villarroel and by alms from the town; Villarroel himself paid for the church, thirty-nine paces long, with five altars and a main altarpiece, where Nuestra Señora del Majano was venerated. The convent came to have sixteen cells, two offices and a cloister, and according to the Ensenada Cadastre of 1758 it was home to twelve friars, two choir brothers and four lay brothers; Villarroel himself was buried in its church. After the War of Independence the friars returned, and in 1815 its restoration was requested, funded with goods confiscated from the man who had bought and destroyed it during the French occupation.
Palace of el Arzobispo
Monument
The Archbishop's Palace of El Puente del Arzobispo stands on the original palace that Pedro Tenorio, Archbishop of Toledo and founder of the town in the second half of the 14th century, had built. Tenorio promoted the construction of a bridge to safely cross the Tagus on the way to the sanctuary of Guadalupe, and wanted a settlement to watch over the work, the origin of the village that bears his name. The palace is today one of the main heritage landmarks of the town centre.
Ceramics Interpretation Centre
Monument
A museum space that recreates an early 20th-century pottery kiln and includes an interactive pottery and painting workshop and a room with Spanish ceramic pieces from the 17th to the 20th century.
The emerald green of Puente del Arzobispo
Curiosity
The earthenware of El Puente del Arzobispo is distinguished by the predominance of emerald green over orange and yellow tones, a hallmark that sets it apart from Talavera ceramics.
A ceramic tradition recognised by Unesco
Curiosity
In December 2019 the craft processes of the Talavera-style ceramics of El Puente del Arzobispo were inscribed by UNESCO on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A bridge for the pilgrims of Guadalupe
Curiosity
Archbishop Pedro Tenorio founded the town in the 14th century to oversee the building of the bridge and replace the dangerous ferries that crossed the Tagus on the way to the sanctuary of Guadalupe.
The smallest municipality in Castilla-La Mancha
Curiosity
At barely 0.98 square kilometres, El Puente del Arzobispo is the smallest municipality in Castilla-La Mancha and one of the smallest in Spain, with a density of over a thousand inhabitants per square kilometre.
Festivities of Santa Catalina
Activity
Celebrations in honour of the town's patron saint, with religious ceremonies and popular festivities. They are held on 24 and 25 November, with an open-air dance, a procession and bonfires known locally as chozos.
The Jewish quarter and synagogue of 1495
Historical milestone
The villa had a Jewish community from the fifteenth century until the expulsion of 1492. Some of those who left for Portugal returned afterwards converted, and in 1495 a royal decree confirmed the ownership of the building that had been a synagogue.
Bridge of la FAI
Monument
During the Civil War (1936-1939), with the municipality in the republican zone, the town's name was replaced by that of Puente de la FAI, in reference to the Iberian Anarchist Federation. The designation was reversed when the conflict ended.