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And moving right along trying to update, revise with new links and or pictures I came across this one. Oh well, I have written posts before on Villanueva de la Jara but left out some interesting buildings I like to point out now.  The tour of these old post needless to say has been a wonderful tour for me and hope for you too. I thank you for reading me over these last 10 years!

It was a long road warrior day thru the province of Cuenca in the region of Castilla de la Mancha. We went south of Cuenca on national and local regional roads into the vast lands of Don Quijote, searching his dreams! We stop at Villanueva de la Jara.  This is a historical town, going back to prehistoric times. However, it is call Villanueva or new town because in 1476 sided with the Queen Isabel I of Castille (The Catholic Queen) in her fight in the war of succession to the throne she contested with Juana la Beltraneja. She ,Isabel I won, and for allegiance gave the title of City, and built a college of Latin ,the first one in the province of Cuenca.

Villanueva de la Jara,  belongs to the area of La Manchuela. It borders of the  Valdemembra river . Besides the main nucleus itself it also comprises the nuclei of Santa Cruz and Ribera de San Benito as villages. It is known for the cultivation of mushrooms which is the main economic activity of the area, as well as different edible fungi. The town is well connected as it passes through the center the N-320  road that goes from Cuenca to Albacete and the N-310 that goes from Villanueva de la Jara to Manzanares, and is 13 km from the. A3 expressway that connects to Madrid and Valencia. All these roads taken several times by yours truly!

In the Spanish Civil War, it was one of the bases of the leftist Republican Army and of the International Brigades. In Villanueva de la Jara were George Orwell, Willy Brandt and Josip Broz Tito among many others, within the International Brigades, the Comitern and the Lincoln Brigade. On the outskirts of town are some bunkers of what was an aerodrome in wartime.

The Church or Iglesia del Carmen was previously a monks’s convent of the Carmelites that keeps the image of the Virgen de las Nieves (Virgin of the snow) the town patron Saint. The comes from the cloister of the Convent of the same name that began to be built when the Carmelite friars arrived from the nearby Desierto del Socorro, in La Roda, thanks to the efforts carried out by Santa Teresa de Jésus.

The church is an a Latin cross, with three naves, the main one and the lateral ones destined to shelter the devotional chapels, connected by a corridor. The central orange color dome with four medallions on the pendentives with saints of the Order, among them the great reformers: San Juan de la Cruz and Santa Teresa de Jesús. Notable in the center of the main altarpiece is the Gothic image of the Patron Saint of the town, the Virgen de las Nieves is seated, in a chair without arms. It is a round sculpture carved in wood, stuccoed, polychrome and gilded. There still inconclusive evidence but claims that the hermit Catalina de Cardona is buried here.

You walked along the wonderful Calle Santa Ana and later take Calle Madrigal to reach the Church of the Convent of Carmen (see post on the convent part). This began to rise in 1587, after the arrival of the friars. Its construction was paid for thanks to the assets of the Socorro convent. Currently, only the church remains standing, as the rest of the complex disappeared after the confiscations of the 19C. The architecture of the building is typically Carmelite, taking as a prototype the monastery of the Incarnation of Madrid . It has a large facade without ornamentation, except for the shields and the title image. Its structure is developed in three bodies: the lower one for access, the middle one for lighting, and the upper one a triangular shaped tympanum with an oculus.

We went a bit inside as service was rendered but did saw the Main Altar and the image of the Virgen de las Nieves, patron saint of Villanueva de la Jara. The presbytery is decorated with a baroque-style golden altarpiece and the central dome is ornamented with paintings that simulate nobler materials and forms with classic Carmelite iconography. The image of the Virgen de las Nieves 14C in Gothic style, this sculpture of round bulk carved in stuccoed, polychrome and gilded wood, represents the patron sitting in a chair, without arms, with the child also sitting on her following the medieval model of the throne of wisdom. The image presents, in her right hand, an apple, in turn, the child supports in his left hand the globe crowned with a Cross.

Of course, you can see my other posts on Villanueva de la Jara, a nice town to visit for the day and it gave us a glimpse of the real Castilian life in the Province of Cuenca, region of Castilla La Mancha. Memories that will lingered forever in our minds.

Some of the other things to see here in my opinion are the architecture facade of the house villa Enriqueta in the Plaza Mayor. Built in 1899, according to the inscription on its façade, it was ordered to be built by Jesús Casanova for use as a private home. During the Spanish Civil War it was used as a military hospital and is currently owned by several families. It is a very striking building in which elements of Mudejar,Renaissance and Modernist art are mixed. It is built in brick of two colors forming floral motifs on its facade.

Around the Plaza Mayor , main square;a wonderful square as is the norm in Spain has several historic buildings of the town. The first one we visit is the Posada Massó 16C, a Renaissance-style building ; its layout is attributed to the Italian architect Andrea Rodi. The property has two floors on the façade of which we can see its semicircular arches separated by Doric columns. Next to the City/Town Hall stands the Torre del Reloj or Clock Tower, with three floors, in turn attached to the late medieval building that was formerly the rooms of the Council, the Royal Prison and the offices of the Pósito.

A webpage on the footpaths of Santa Teresa de Jésus includes Villanueva de la Jara: http://www.huellasdeteresa.com/es/huellas

La Manchuela area on Villanueva de la Jara: https://lamanchuelaaldia.com/la-historia-religiosa-villanueva-la-jara/

The city of Villanueva de la Jara on its history in Spanish : http://www.villanuevadelajara.es/historia.html

The Castilla La Mancha tourist board on Villanueva de la Jara: http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/patrimonio/villanueva-de-la-jara-47331/descripcion/

There you go folks, a wonderful deep town in the wonderful province of Cuenca, this is historical Villanueva de la Jara. Hope you enjoy the tour.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Again, finding gems hidden in bigger posts but deservently a post of their own for these wonderful quant towns of my road warrior trips in beautiful Castilla la Mancha! Let me tell you a bit more on Almodovar del Pinar!!

We were base in the mountains of the Serrania de Cuenca, especifically at Las Majadas, (see posts) a place of many memories of family visits and good friends. We all love so much that we repeated coming here, and my dear late wife Martine fell in love with the area even thinking of retirement here. Sad could not be, life goes on, memories to take along the roads.

Let me tell you about Almodóvar del Pinar a town passing on the road N320 and only 47 km from Cuenca capital and Valencia 154 km , Madrid 234 km. The name comes from the Moors/Arabs that means Redondo or round going back to the 11C . Went thru many battles between Moors and Christians until king Alfonso VIII conquered in 1177 and again coming back to retake in 1184. By 1452, king Juan II of Castile bequest the town to Don Rodrigo Manrique, Count of  Paredes ,and Nava, Constable of Castile ,  Commander of  Segura de la Sierra, knight of the Order of Santiago and father of the famous poet  Jorge Manrique. In 1467 Manrique sells all his assets of the town to  Don Martín de Alarcón, Commander of Mérida , and Lord of  Solera.

In the 18C, the town had its biggest economic impact been of the most important towns in Spain for carriage transport (carreteros sort of the truckers of today) delivering goods all over Spain . The Royal Association of carriages of Almodovar was founded in the 16C_17C; having the town the biggest number of carriages per inhabitant in Spain. The goods were mostly transported to Madrid  but also to  Valencia, Cuenca, Linares, and Sevilla.

Another interesting historical anecdote here is on the Inquisition. Here official members and collaborators called family of the inquisition, and they were townspeople with the shield of the Inquisition on their front doors that gave them prestige, and they were not subject to laws but only to the Inquisitors. Here over 100 processes on the inquisition took place, a rather large number for a very small town not reaching 500 inhabitants at the time. Very repressive town in those days.

Things to see here are Cerro de los Cubos at a height of 994 meters with the remains of an Arab/moor fortification.  Wonderful Church of Our Lady of the Assomption or Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Asunción; the nerf is from the 15C, the tower from the 17C, and the main gate is from the 18C.  Inside there is a major altar and retable in baroque style done in 1957-1959 at  Santiago de Compostela. The nice ornate City/town Hall , Pósito (goods depot) , and the Chapels of Ermita Nuestra Senora de las Nieves (15C) ,  Ermita de San Antonio Abad (17C-18C),  Ermita de San Miguel Arcángel (17C), and my favorite there (because Valencia monk came to my current area to preached circa 1410-19) the Ermita de San Vicente Ferrer (18C) renovated and now use for civil events ,and the house of the inquisition or Casa de la Inquisición.

We enjoyed Almodovar del Pinar; an old town since the inquisition who has a nice Church or Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion right in the Plaza Mayor. The nave or central hall is from the 15C, tower from the 17C and portal door from the 18C. Right here in the Plaza Mayor you have the nice building of the city/town hall.  Right by the entrance to the town you see the Ermita Vicente Ferrer dating from the 18C now use for civil events. It is with a baroque door and two columns on the sides with an image in stone of the Saint (the same that is in Vannes Brittany where I ,work and his body is in the Catedral of Vannes). The story of this Church is that as the local people were known as carreteros or wagon transport folks to and from Valencia ,one of the shipments arrived of great value and nobody claim it. Once no owner was found, the authorities open the shipment and found amongst the goods a manuscript saying that the money collected from the sale of the goods were to have build a Church dedicated to the Saint and a school to teach 12 poor girls from the town.  Three brother did just that and built the Church and the School. This is where the current school Virgen de las Nieves is located today;with the Church still remaining for social town events.

More on Almodovar del Pinar from the Castilla La Mancha tourist board in English:  http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/patrimonio/almodovar-del-pinar-44131/descripcion/

The area of La Manchuela in province of Cuenca on Almodovar del Pinar with nice video of thet town in Spanish: https://lamanchuelaaldia.com/almodovar-del-pinar/

Hope you enjoy this quant Castilian town in wonderful Castilla La Mancha, land of dreamers and positive hopes deep in the province of Cuenca! My road warrior trips allowed me to visit nice memorable towns like Almodovar del Pinar, memories forever. Thanks for reading me!

And remember, happy travels, good health and many cheers to all!!!