Logbook · 8 places

What to see and do in Caudiel

What to see and do in Caudiel (El Alto Palancia, Castellón): 8 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 2 Activities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Caudiel

Towns near Caudiel

Spain › Valencian Community › Castellón › El Alto Palancia › Caudiel

What to see and do in Caudiel

Caudiel
Village
Caudiel is a municipality in the comarca of Alto Palancia, in the south of Castellón, on the border with Alto Mijares and at the junction between the Sierra de Espina and Sierra de Espadán; its urban centre sits on two hills separated by the Juesar ravine, which drains into the Palancia river. It has 735 inhabitants. Its municipal area contains Bronze Age remains and traces of Muslim presence, including an old mosque consecrated as a parish church. It was acquired in 1538 by the Duke of Calabria, who surrounded it with walls and towers, and on his death it passed to the monastery of San Miguel de los Reyes, lord of the village for the following centuries. It preserves the Aníbal tower and an old convent of Discalced Carmelites, and is known for its local short-stemmed cherry, which ripens in June and has its own fair.
Festivities of Caudiel
Activity
Caudiel's patronal festival is in honour of the Virgen del Niño Perdido, in the second week of September; local tradition holds that it was previously held in June, in honour of San Juan Bautista.
Tower of Aníbal de Caudiel
Monument
A historic tower in Caudiel, also called the Torre del Molino, on the outskirts of the municipality, in the comarca of Alto Palancia. It is a defensive tower with a cylindrical plan, built of conglomerate stone and lime, with courses of regular ashlar and topped by a dome covered in tiles. Its origin is disputed: tradition attributes it to the Carthaginian general Hannibal, from whom it takes its name, while other studies place it in the medieval period; ancient sources such as Pliny, Hirtius and Livy call this type of structure "Turris Hannibalis", built up high to watch for thieves or enemy incursions. It is declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection), with the code RI-51-0010794, and listed in the General Inventory of Valencian Cultural Heritage.
Church of San Juan Bautista de Caudiel
Monument
The parish church of Caudiel (Castellón), housed in the church of the former convent of the Augustinians, founded in 1616 by Pedro Miralles, where studies in philosophy and art were once taught. After the disentailment, the conventual building passed to municipal uses, and the church, with its chapel and camarín, was made a parish church in 1866, when the dome of the former parish church collapsed. It is a broad nave in the form of a Latin cross, in Baroque style, with interconnected cloister chapels and a hemispherical dome; the altarpiece, heavily ornamented and gilded, is partly the work of the Manchego painter Gaspar de la Huerta. The Virgin's camarín holds the small image of Our Lady of the Lost Child, or Our Lady of the Tusk, carved from an elephant tusk in the 15th century.
Convent of las Carmelitas Descalzas de Caudiel
Monument
A convent founded by Pedro Miralles who, as at the neighbouring convent of the Augustinians, died before seeing his project completed, so that his heirs delayed the foundation for more than forty years until it was carried out on 21 November 1671; it opened on 2 December 1685 with room for twenty-one Discalced Carmelite nuns. The complex, entirely walled, has a sturdy, monarchical appearance. The church, with a single nave and Baroque side chapels not interconnected, retains in the choir, separated from the presbytery by a large grille, a rich 17th-century Valencian tile floor from Manises; among its works of note are an Immaculate Conception attributed to the circle of Esteve Bonet and an Ecce Homo linked to Juan de Juanes.
Fair of la Cereza de Caudiel
Activity
Gastronomic fair of Caudiel dedicated to the cherry, one of the most prized products of the comarca of Alto Palancia. It is held in June and centers on the short-stemmed cherry, the village's most famous and natural dessert; during the festival attendees are offered the village's typical olla stew and wine.
The purchase of Caudiel by Fernando de Aragón
Historical milestone
The Duke of Calabria acquired the place in 1538 and had it surrounded with walls and towers; on his death his estate passed to the monastery of San Miguel de los Reyes, lord of the village for the following centuries.
The short-stemmed cherry of Caudiel
Food and drink
A local variety of small, very sweet cherry that ripens in June on the terraces of the district; the harvest marks the village calendar, which is also a land of rosemary and lavender honey.