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Castle of San Juan de las Águilas

Águilas, Alto Guadalentín, Murcia

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Spain › Region of Murcia › Alto Guadalentín › Águilas › Castle of San Juan de las Águilas

Castle of San Juan de las Águilas

Monument · Águilas, Alto Guadalentín, Murcia

The castle of San Juan de las Águilas is a military fortification standing above the town of Águilas, declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) since 1982 and considered the town's most emblematic monument, with views over the whole bay. In 1579, under Philip II, a watchtower was built on this headland, that of San Juan, as part of the project to defend the Mediterranean coast against Berber pirates entrusted to Vespasiano I Gonzaga; an earthquake damaged it in 1596 and the Berbers eventually destroyed it in 1643. After an order for its reconstruction in 1652, it was not until the mid-18th century, under the reign of Ferdinand VI, that the engineer Sebastián Feringán designed the present castle, with works completed in 1756. Restored, it can be visited today.

Photo: Bernhard Hampp (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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