Logbook · 5 places

What to see and do in Chera

What to see and do in Chera (La Plana de Utiel-Requena, Valencia): 5 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Nature

How far each place is from the centre of Chera

Parish Church of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles of Chera 200 m
Castle of Chera 1.5 km

Towns near Chera

What to see in Sot de Chera 6.2 km · 7 places
What to see in Chulilla 9.6 km · 8 places
What to see in Gestalgar 12 km · 9 places
What to see in Siete Aguas 14 km · 16 places
What to see in Losa del Obispo 14 km · 4 places
What to see in Calles 15 km · 2 places
What to see in Requena 16 km · 28 places
What to see in Bugarra 17 km · 2 places

Spain › Valencian Community › Valencia › La Plana de Utiel-Requena › Chera

What to see and do in Chera

Chera
Village
Chera is a municipality of Requena-Utiel, in the province of Valencia, with 508 inhabitants, situated in a tectonic trench formed 65 million years ago and surrounded by rugged mountains; it is home to the Chera-Sot de Chera Natural Park, the first geological park in the Comunidad Valenciana and one of only three in Spain, with Jurassic formations, caves, canyons, fossils and waterfalls. Sites found within its territory confirm human presence since the year 6000 BC, and its castle, built by the Almoravids in the 12th century, was taken by Castilian troops and remained in their hands until 1436. The village was left depopulated after the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1525. In its town centre it preserves a historic fortification and the manor house of the Marqués de Santa Coloma.
Geological Park of Chera-Sot de Chera
Nature
The Chera-Sot de Chera Geological Natural Park extends across the municipal districts of Chera and Sot de Chera (Valencia) and was the first of its kind in the Comunitat Valenciana, one of three that exist in Spain. Its highly rugged relief is due to huge fractures that have displaced the earth's crust by up to 600 metres, exposing a wide variety of Jurassic strata next to the Buseo reservoir. Notable features include the Morrón, a 200-metre rocky outcrop above Sot de Chera with impressive views, the Barranco de la Hoz ravine and the Toscas waterfalls, along with natural springs such as that of Santa María or that of Tío Fausto. The vegetation combines pine woods, junipers, rosemary and esparto grass. Protected since 2007, it covers 6,451 hectares.
Parish Church of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles of Chera
Monument
A 19th-century church, recently restored, which serves as the nerve centre of the old town of Chera and a landmark of the municipality within the Chera-Sot de Chera Natural Park. It has a barrel vault with three chapels on each side, lit by upper stained-glass windows, and a bell tower of tosca stone with a body of Ionic columns and three bells, topped by a striking brick aedicule with pyramidal pinnacles. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels, patron saint of the village.
Castle of Chera
Monument
The Castillo de Chera stands on a hill one kilometre from the village, from where it once dominated the plain and the trade routes. Of Muslim origin, it is believed to have been built in the early 12th century, given the presence of a barbican, an element introduced by the Almoravids; it protected the Muslim population of nearby hamlets. It has a quadrangular plan, with rammed-earth and masonry walls, corner turrets and a central keep; it preserves the Pedriza, Cueva and Ermita towers, along with remains of walls and an outer barbican. Its state of conservation is precarious, with a large part of the wall lost; the Ermita tower, ten metres high, is the best preserved. Declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) in 1998, it ranks among the monuments of the municipality alongside the Casona of the Marqués de Santa Coloma.
Manor House of the Marquis of Santa Coloma of Chera
Monument
Former manorial mansion in the urban core of Chera linked to the noble title of Marqués de Santa Coloma.