The Castillo of Peracense castle in Teruel province !!!

Posted in Europe, Spain

I have bypassed several times too numerous to count. Lucky in my search found me couple pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, From this brief stop memories abound and always looking forward to be back to the are, eventually. Therefore, let me tell you about the Castillo of Peracense castle in Teruel province !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

 The village of Peracense is part of the Comarca (traditional grouping by culture etc in Spain) of Jiloca, province of Teruel, autonomous community of Aragon, in the kingdom of Spain, It has a population of 74 inhabitants (INE 2024). It is located 55 km from Teruel, 111 km from Calatayud, 58 km from Albarracin, 144 km from Cuenca, 146 km from Zaragoza, and 245 km from Madrid, I passed by here on my way down from France to Spain passing by Zaragoza and continuing down on the A23 highway getting off at exit/salida 160 dir Villafranca del Campo on the TE V 9024 road going thru beautiful mountain areas and curvy roads tops ! I passed the village of Peracense and continue to what I heard was a nice castle down the same road to the Castle of Peracense, I then continue my journey to final destination at Las Majadas (see posts),

The Castillo de Peracense castle has a fortified enclosure that occupies an area of ​​about 4,000 square meters and consists of three walled enclosures, with different construction characteristics. The outer enclosure has a powerful crenellated wall at right angles equipped with several towers and a level of loopholes, which protects a wide esplanade or albacar. The old stables currently house the toilets, an exhibition hall and the shop. The middle enclosure is formed by an irregular wall adapted to the rock and was built during the second half of the 14C, in the context of the War of the Two Pedros. The old troop quarters have been converted into the museum and activities room. The inner enclosure is located on top of a steep rocky cliff, being configured in three successive terraces up to the upper deck, from where you can visually dominate the entire Jiloca valley. The tower, traditionally called the Torre del Homenaje or Keep Tower is actually a false tower, consisting of an enormous wall, 2,5 meters thick and 14 meters high, that acts as a defensive screen for the entire upper space. Access to this section was via a mobile staircase that could be withdrawn in the event of an attack, thus bridging the gap of about 4 meters with the level of the middle enclosure.

The Peracense City Council, owner of the castle has it open every weekend of the year, and every day in summer. Guided tours are offered for groups, as well as educational workshops for schoolchildren and guided tours. Since June 2014, the two courtyards of Peracense Castle have housed an exhibition with life-size reproductions of medieval siege weapons. The Peracense Castle is one of the most original and best preserved castles in Aragon, as well as one of the monuments of greatest heritage and landscape interest in Teruel. The castle stands at an altitude of about 1,400 meters, sheltered by the San Ginés Peak.

Other things to see in the village is the most significant feature of its town center is the parish church dedicated to Saint Peter. It was built in 1740 and is of great magnitude, with its stone tower, nearly thirty meters high, standing out. Inside, it houses two interesting 16C altarpieces.

A bit of history tell us that with the expansion of the Kingdom of Aragon south of the Ebro towards the Mediterranean, the territory of Peracense was conquered around 1150, but it was in the Late Middle Ages when its strategic importance increased due to its border position between the kingdoms of Castilla and Aragon and the lordships of Albarracín, Molina de Aragón and the Community of Daroca. The castle was part of the defensive system of the Taifa of Albarracín until approximately 1170, when the then Emir of Murcia and lord of the Taifa, Muhammad ibn Mardanís, also known as the Wolf King, handed over the territory to Pedro Ruiz de Azagra, lord of Estella. As the main thing here the fortress lost its importance after the War of the Two Pedros ( also known as the Castilian–Aragonese War of 1356–1369, was fought from 1356 to 1369 between the crowns of Castile and Aragon), and after its transfer to the Community of Villages of Daroca, it was converted into a prison for the Community of Villages of Daroca, later suffering a period of wear and tear and abandonment. It was reoccupied in 1830-1833 during the First Carlist War by a liberal military detachment, which adapted and partially rebuilt it to suit the needs of artillery, which altered the walls and eliminated interior buildings, thus making it difficult to interpret the monument. Reliable documentation revolves around the history of its imposing castle. When we document the town and its castle, we are already in the Late Middle Ages. Its magnificent Peracense Castle. It is a fortified complex, built on a high rodeno cliff at the end of the Sierra Menera, which played a prominent role during the wars with Castile in the Middle Ages. At the foot of the fortress, the remains of the original settlement have been found, consisting of 14 houses and the old hermitage of the Virgen de la Villeta. In 1248, by privilege of James I, this place was separated from Daroca, becoming part of Sesma del Río Jiloca in the Community of Villages of Daroca, which depended directly on the king. This administrative regime lasted until the death of Ferdinand VII in 1833, and was dissolved in 1838.

The village of Peracense on the castle : https://www.peracense.es/castillo/los-recintos-del-castillo/

The Aragon region tourist office on the castle : https://www.turismodearagon.com/en/ficha/castillo-de-peracense/

The official site Cultural Heritage of Aragon on the castle : https://patrimonioculturaldearagon.es/patrimonio/castillo-de-peracense/

The Province of Teruel tourist office on the route of castles : https://www.sienteteruel.es/conocenos/rutas/ruta-de-los-castillos/

The Spain National Tourist office on the Castle of Peracense : https://www.spain.info/en/places-of-interest/peracense-castle/

There you go folks, a dandy places to see in wonderful Teruel province. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Castillo of Peracense castle in Teruel province !!! as I.

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

Unknown's avatar

Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.