Logbook · 4 places

What to see and do in Bonilla de la Sierra

What to see and do in Bonilla de la Sierra (Ávila, Ávila): 4 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 1 Activities · 1 Historical milestones

Towns near Bonilla de la Sierra

Spain › Castile and León › Ávila › Ávila › Bonilla de la Sierra

What to see and do in Bonilla de la Sierra

Bonilla de la Sierra
Village
Bonilla de la Sierra is a municipality in the valle del Corneja, in the comarca of El Barco de Ávila-Piedrahíta, with predominantly mountainous terrain; the village stands at 1,079 metres. It has belonged to the bishopric of Ávila as a lordship since at least 1224, and between 1312 and 1348 Bishop Sancho Blázquez Dávila fortified it; under Bishop Lope de Barrientos, its castle served as a residence for King John II in 1440, amid the political tension caused by the Infantes of Aragon. Declared a conjunto histórico-artístico (a heritage designation for a historic ensemble) since 1983, in 2019 it became the first village in the province of Ávila admitted to Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España. It preserves a castle and city wall, and holds the procession of the Negros, with three penitents. On a hill there are also two rock-cut altars carved in granite, of prehistoric date.
Walled town and collegiate church of Bonilla de la Sierra
Monument
A village of 139 inhabitants that preserves its medieval wall and the collegiate church of San Martín, begun at the beginning of the 15th century and finished around 1513. Its altarpiece of 1514 was replaced around 1701 by a Baroque one. A historic-artistic ensemble since 4 May 1983.
The Procession of the Black Penitents
Activity
At midnight on Maundy Thursday and at noon on Good Friday, three penitents dressed entirely in black walk in silence through the streets of the walled town. It is one of the most awe-inspiring Semana Santa manifestations of the province.
Bonilla, stronghold of the bishops
Historical milestone
Between 1312 and 1348 the bishop of Ávila Sancho Blázquez Dávila fortified the town and raised the castle that served as summer residence to the prelates of Ávila. From that episcopal lordship come the wall, the collegiate church and the air of a small capital that it still preserves.