Village
Municipality of the comarca of La Mancha de Toledo, in the province of Toledo, crowned by the castle of La Muela, on the Calderico hill, which Alfonso VIII handed over in 1183 to the Order of Saint John and which was the head of the Grand Priory of Castile and León in La Mancha until the disentailments of the nineteenth century; its name comes from the pre-Roman city of Consabura, in 1097 Diego Rodríguez, son of El Cid, died here, and on the night of 11 September 1891 the overflowing of the river Amarguillo caused 360 deaths and forced much of the town's layout to be remade.
Monument
A fortress crowning the Calderico hill above Consuegra, with a double walled enclosure and towers. It was the seat of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem from the time Alfonso VIII granted it to them in 1183.
Monument
The twelve windmills crowning the cerro Calderico, in Consuegra (Toledo), were mostly built in the first half of the 19th century, although two already existed in the 18th and one may date from the 16th. They follow the tower-mill model that spread in Holland between the 16th and 17th centuries: a cylindrical whitewashed masonry body topped by a rotating conical roof of wood and zinc with four sails. Inside, three floors were laid out -the granary, the sieve chamber and the grinding room with the machinery- and eight tall small windows allowed the direction of the wind to be checked. Today, with no flour-milling activity, they are used for tourism; at the Sancho mill the Molienda de la Paz is held every October. The ensemble was declared a historic site in 2008.
Monument
Church of San Juan Bautista, the main historic temple of Consuegra (Toledo), a former town of the Order of Saint John. Raised in 1567 in Mudejar style, it has a Latin-cross plan, a quadrangular dome and porticoed side entrances, built of stone and brick; inside it preserves two Renaissance portals. It also holds paintings of religious scenes by José de Beratón, from the late 17th century, and was the subject of a remodelling directed by the architect Juan de Villanueva.
Monument
The church of the Cristo de la Vera Cruz, in Consuegra, is a neo-Baroque temple with a Latin-cross plan whose construction began around 1750 and was inaugurated on 15 September 1803; its white marble façade combines Baroque and Neoclassical elements. It houses the image of the Santísimo Cristo de la Vera Cruz, patron saint of Consuegra, together with various Holy Week images. In its annexed rooms there is a museum with three halls displaying a 17th-century portable altarpiece, a Neapolitan image of the Christ Child, gold and silver work, liturgical vestments, scapulars and a Lignum Crucis with a certificate of authenticity.
Curiosity
The name Consuegra comes from the pre-Roman city of Consabura, which would mean the confluence of the River Sabo. Settlement here goes back to the Carpetani of the 6th century BC.
Curiosity
Diego Rodríguez, son of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the Cid, born around 1075, died on 15 August 1097 in the battle of Consuegra fighting against the Almoravids, one of the most remembered episodes in local history. It is believed that the Cid took him along into his exile, since there is no record that he remained in Castile with his mother and sisters, and that he may have fought alongside his father in the actions that culminated in the conquest of Valencia. Since 1997, Consuegra has commemorated his death every year with a funeral ceremony.
Activity
The Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafrán is held in Consuegra on the last full weekend of October and is declared a Fiesta de Interés Turístico (Spain's designation for festivals of touristic interest). It began in 1962 on the initiative of Óscar Dignoes, Pedro Albacete del Pozo and Francisco Domínguez Tendero, and has been organised since 1963 around the harvesting and picking of saffron, with picking contests, a market and traditional activities. The programme includes the milling of wheat at the Sancho mill, a gastronomic contest and the choosing of a young woman as Dulcinea, accompanied by maids of honour. A folklore contest, organised by the local group Rosa del Azafrán, brings together dance and music ensembles of top national standing.
Activity
Historical re-enactment of the 1097 battle in which more than five hundred people take part, along with a market and medieval encampments. It is held on 15 August and has recalled, since 1997, the clash between the troops of Alfonso VI and the Almoravid armies of Yusuf Ibn Tasfin; the performance, involving residents of Consuegra and neighbouring towns, takes place at the castle and the bullring and draws more than a thousand visits a day. In recent years the As-Satrany has been added, a metaphorical representation of the battle on a giant chessboard, followed by a responsory prayer and a symbolic dance.
Historical milestone
On the night of 11 September 1891 the river Amarguillo overflowed onto the urban centre, razed the bridges of Roman origin and caused 360 deaths. The subsequent reconstruction changed the layout of streets and squares of a good part of the villa.
Historical milestone
The Grand Priory of Castile and León managed, from the 12th century until the Mendizábal disentailment of 1836, the commanderies of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in Castile and León, integrated together with Portugal into the Tongue of Castile, León and Portugal. It had its seat at the castle of Consuegra from when Alfonso VIII handed it over to the Order in 1183, after its holdings had been consolidated by donations such as that of the monastery of Santa María de Wamba in 1140. Castilian Hospitallers took part at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 and extended their possessions along the Guadalquivir in the 13th century. After the Castilian masterships were incorporated into the Crown in 1487, the priory remained the sole institution of the Order of Saint John in these kingdoms, and governed a good part of the La Mancha region until the 19th century.
Historical milestone
Natural son of Felipe IV and grand prior of the Order of Saint John, Juan José de Austria resided in the fortress of Consuegra during the seventeenth century and undertook remodelling works in it. His period was the last moment of splendour of the prioral castle.