Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Ontígola

What to see and do in Ontígola (Mesa de Ocaña, Toledo): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Activities · 3 Curiosities

When to go to Ontígola: festival calendar

July: Festivities of la Virgen del Rosario de Ontígola (last Sunday of July)

How far each place is from the centre of Ontígola

Castle of Oreja 7.4 km

Towns near Ontígola

What to see in Aranjuez 4 km · 18 places
What to see in Ciruelos 8.4 km · 5 places
What to see in Ocaña 8.5 km · 25 places
What to see in Noblejas 12 km · 8 places
What to see in Yepes 13 km · 22 places
What to see in Villaconejos 13 km · 4 places
What to see in Cabañas de Yepes 13 km · 5 places
What to see in Titulcia 15 km · 4 places

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Toledo › Mesa de Ocaña › Ontígola

What to see and do in Ontígola

Ontígola
Village
Municipality of the comarca of Mesa de Ocaña, in the province of Toledo, whose name comes from the Latin fonticula, spring, after the sources that fed its stream, used from 1552 to supply Aranjuez by means of a Renaissance dam completed by Juan de Herrera; its principal monument is the castle of Oreja, of tenth-century origin, beside the deserted site of the old Roman Aurelia, and it holds its patronal festivals in honour of the Virgen del Rosario.
Castle of Oreja
Monument
The Castillo de Oreja, of 10th-century Muslim origin, stands in the former settlement of Oreja, within the municipal boundary of Ontígola, on the site of the Roman place called Aurelia. The Muslims held a fortress here which Alfonso VI of León acquired as the dowry of his wife Zaida; after the Christian defeat at Uclés in 1108 it returned to Muslim hands and became a threat to the kingdom of Toledo, until in 1139 Alfonso VII conquered it after a six-month siege and resettled the town with Christians. Alfonso VIII granted it to the Order of Santiago, which used it against the Almohads. It consists of a tall rectangular tower girded by an irregular wall on the crag, with arrow slits, a cistern and the remains of a church inside; it is now in an advanced state of ruin.
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción
Monument
Parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción in Ontígola, one of the two main monuments of the municipality along with the Castillo de Oreja. Inside, the image of the town's patroness, the Virgen del Rosario, is venerated.
The Sea of Ontígola
Curiosity
El Mar de Ontígola is a Renaissance-era reservoir on the Ontígola stream, which Philip II decided in 1552 to dam in order to supply water to the Real Sitio (Royal Site) of Aranjuez; the dam, built with the involvement of architects Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera, was inaugurated in 1572 and marked a milestone in the hydraulic engineering of the time. Although it takes its name from the stream and the municipality of Ontígola, the reservoir now lies within the municipal boundary of Aranjuez, fully naturalised. Its waters give temporary or permanent shelter to numerous waterbirds, and since 1994 it has formed part, together with the neighbouring estate of El Regajal, of a 629-hectare nature reserve declared by the Comunidad de Madrid, known above all for its abundance of butterflies.
Fonticula, the Origin of the Name
Curiosity
The place name Ontígola comes from the Latin fonticula, a diminutive of fons, meaning spring or fountain, referring to the springs that fed the Ontígola stream. This etymology seems to point to the natural springs that ran through the area before the construction of the reservoir known as El Mar de Ontígola, commissioned by Philip II, and not to the reservoir itself, which came after the origin of the name.
The Ontígola Action of 1809
Curiosity
The action of Ontígola, which took place on 18 November 1809 on the eve of the Battle of Ocaña, was the largest cavalry engagement of the entire War of Independence: on the French side, eight regiments under the command of Paris and Milhaud crossed the Tajo at Aranjuez and met sixteen Spanish regiments under the command of the Duke of Rivas and March. The Spanish cavalry initially had the upper hand, but the better French tactical position forced its disorderly retreat as far as Ocaña. The Spanish troops withdrew to the town, while the French camped that night at Ontígola; the following day the decisive Battle of Ocaña would take place. The Spanish side suffered 80 prisoners and several hundred dead, among them, by mistake, Ángel de Saavedra, brother of the Duke.
Festivities of la Virgen del Rosario de Ontígola
Activity
The patronal festival of Ontígola in honour of the Virgen del Rosario is held on the last Sunday of July, with religious ceremonies and popular festivities around the municipality's patroness.