There are towns with such an extraordinary location that they are picturesque for that very reason. This is the case of Frías, the Burgos town with hanging houses. Or Castefollit de la Roca, which seems a miracle in the Garrotxa. Also Miravet, in Tarragona, with a Templar castle peering above the Ebro. Now, in Montefrío, a comarca of Loja in Granada, the same happens. Even from afar it is striking for the monumental complex formed by the Arab fortress and the ancient church perched on the rock, balancing it.
The surrounding landscape helps to compose the scene, on the foothills of the Parapanda range. Only five kilometers away, for even greater delight, is the Archaeological Park of the Peña de los Gitanos, a site occupied from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages. It preserves a megalithic necropolis with a hundred dolmens, one of the most important sites in Andalusia. In addition, a prehistoric village, the walls and the Iberian-Roman settlement of the ancient Hiponova, Visigothic burials, and an early medieval settlement.
Montefrío is identified with the Mons Frigidus of the Romans and later with the Montefrid of the Arabs. It remained the last frontier of Al-Andalus, the western part of Granada. All of Montefrío’s history is written in the layout of its streets, which radiated from the castle and were filled with almost acrobatic houses sheltered by its double walls.
A fortress of the Nasrid kingdom
The fortress was erected at the instigation of Yusuf I in 1352 as part of the defense of the Nasrid kingdom. A defensive system formed by a succession of castles connected by watchtowers, some of which have survived. The Torre del Cortijuelo, on the hill of the same name, and the Torre de los Anillos, on the high ground of Los Molinos, stand as witnesses. Both are in the vicinity of the town.
As a curiosity, Montefrío’s castle was raised by the same architect who designed the Alhambra’s alcazaba. It served as residence for seven years to Aben Ismael III, the future king of Granada as Yusuf V, and it was one of the crucial bastions to defend the kingdom. Only one of its towers remains, the cisterns, and some stretches of the wall, in which three of its towers can still be seen.
Montefrío was frontier territory and played a key role in the Reconquista.
Sobre la fortaleza fue construida la imponente iglesia de la Villa, que está en el grupo de las Iglesias de las Siete Villas, nacidas a raíz de la Reconquista en esta tierra bautizada como el granero de Granada. Todas ellas con una línea arquitectónica común y obra del arquitecto y escultor burgalés Diego de Siloé, que tanto vuelo le dio al Renacimiento. Alberga el Centro de Interpretación El Centinela, que ahonda en el pasado medieval de la villa y el conflicto que vivió durante casi dos siglos, enfrentando dos culturas totalmente diferentes.
A round church
The Church of the Villa, the town’s emblematic landmark, is not the only one that calls attention. It shares prominence with the Church of the Encarnación, which draws eyes for its circular shape, with two rectangular annexes, in the surroundings of Plaza de España. It is inspired by the Pantheon of Agrippa in Rome and is the work of architect Domingo Lois de Monteagudo, whose project came to life between 1786 and 1802. It is famed as one of the best Spanish neoclassical churches. The locals call it the Redonda.
An aerial image of Montefrío with the Redonda in the foreground.
These are the monuments that make Montefrío grand and solemn. Beyond this stone-by-stone structure, there are viewpoints, located at the places where it obviously has the most to boast. The most famous is the one named after National Geographic magazine, as thanks for choosing it as one of the ten most beautiful views in the world, nestled between two deep chasms. The viewpoint in question is on the outskirts, along the Tocón road.
The Route of the Viewpoints
One can still enjoy that same view, but multiplied in intensity, if you go uphill along the Calvario hill to the Peñas viewpoint. From here, you can also take a path that leads to a spot with a fountain and a cave-house. For a different perspective, head to the old town and seek the Arrabal viewpoint via the pedestrian access to the Villa Church.
If what you want is to see Montefrío embraced by its landscape, the suggestion is to head toward Íllora until you reach the viewpoint called, precisely, Panorámico. And there is another proposal. This time to see a spectacular sunset: the Placeta del Convento viewpoint, next to San Antonio. Of course, there is a hiking route that goes along all these balconies.
