Benitagla

BENITAGLA

Benitagla is a small and calm village surrounded by plots of almond and olive trees and vines. It has about 60 inhabitants.

HISTORY

Benitagla was founded by the descendants of the Berber Tribes that settled in the Sierra de los Filabres between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in the Nasrid period. The earliest data of Benitagla stretches back to July 1488. On June 23, 1492, the Catholic Monarchs give the towns of Albox, Arboleas, Albanchez and Benitagla to Don Pedro Manrique de Lara, Duke of Nájera, along with all the rights attached thereto. On March 11, 1495, Don Juan Chacón bought these four Villas, a sale that was approved by the Catholic Monarchs in a privilege dated in Ocaña on March 6, 1499. More>

THINGS TO SEE

Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Piedad
The small church dedicated to San Juan and the patron saint of La Virgen de la Piedad dates to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with a simple and unadorned façade, whitewashed walls and square bell tower at one end. It was originally a mosque from the Nasrid period and, although it has been modified, retains its original minaret, as well as its wooden ceiling that was rebuilt in 1995. The images inside were destroyed in the Civil War, so those found in the church today have all been added since; the church archives unfortunately suffered the same fate. Located in Plaza Mayor.

El Mirador de las Eras
In the eras, generally circular and sometimes paved, the grain was separated from the straw of cereals such as wheat, rye and barley, however, they are no longer used today. Benitagla has a good number of them; there are private ones, such as the eras of the Lara, Geromo, Chavillo, Sánchez, Pérez, Ríos families, and a public era, forming a town square that is also a viewpoint. Located on Calle Juan Garrido.

El Pozo de la Barranquera
The well was made in 1963 and restored in June 2010. Before 1963, there was no public space within the town that supplied water to its inhabitants and animals, which meant that in order to wash clothes, residents had to travel outside the town to private wells. Located in Plaza Virgen del Rosario.

THINGS TO SEE OUTSIDE THE TOWN

El Castillico
El Castillico was a Muslim farmhouse tower dating from the Nasrid period, between the fouteenth and fifteenth centuries. Its strategic position offered a direct view of the Alhabia and Torrecilla towers so that they could communicate smoke signal warnings of possible enemy incursions or looters. The base of the tower has been retained, with a regular stone plan. It was classified a Site of Cultural Interest in 1993, although its state of preservation is poor since it has been damaged by agricultural machinery. Located 200m east of the town.

COUNTRYSIDE WALKS

GR-244
This route is a total of 109km, passing through the towns of Alcudia de Monteagud, Benitagla, Benizalón, Castro de Filabres, Lucainena de las Torres, Senés, Tabernas, Tahal, Uleila del Campo and Velefique. However, different stages of the route can be enjoyed by themselves, such as the 10km route in the Benitagla area.

GASTRONOMY

Visitors to Benitagla should try local dishes such as gachas de harina (flour made into a paste and seasoned with spices), caldo de tomate y piminetos asados (tomato soup with roasted peppers) and talvina (savoury meal made with flour and water served with croutons).

FESTIVALS

Popular festivals in Benitagla are the Fiestas Patronales, Romería al Cerro de la Virgen, Semana Santa and Hogueras de San Antón. More>

NEARBY PLACES

The neighbouring villages to Benitagla are Alcudia de Monteagud and Benizalón.

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