Discover Calatorao: Castle, Architecture and the Sotos along the Jalón

Calatorao combines distinctive architectural history with architectural walking tours and the Sotos along the Jalón River. Historical religious buildings, remarkable details and sculpture parks come together to create a multifaceted picture of the town.

Culture

The castle-palace has a square floor plan with sides measuring approximately 25 metres, is built of solid brick masonry, comprises three storeys and is arranged around an open central courtyard. In the upper part of the town stands the Castillo de los Priores, also known as Castillo de Calatorao, next to the parish church; as a Bien de Interés Cultural, it is protected in the Monument category.

The castle preserves an almost unchanged kitchen dating from the early 20th century. There are also two complete bathrooms, the roof, the battlements and a restored coffered ceiling in the Salón de los Reyes.

The Capilla del Santo Cristo was built in 1734. The building has a square floor plan and a dome on pendentives; a lantern is set in an octagonal brick structure crowned by a small dome. Next to the prayer room is a small building that was used on the ground floor as a Qur'anic school, or madrasa, and on the upper floor as the imam's residence.

The image of the Santo Cristo is known as „El Tostado de Calatorao“ and as „El Cristo de los Endemoniados“. On Good Friday, it is venerated with the participation of Calatorao and its comarca.

History

The Mudéjar aljama mosque of Calatorao, dating from the 14th to the 15th century, is preserved in the building formerly known as the Hospital de los Peregrinos. The parish church of San Bartolomé is a neoclassical building from the 18th century.

Walks and Art

Calatorao's international symposium for black marble sculpture reached its fifth edition. On 25 September, work began by five sculptors selected by a specialist jury. Sculpture parks enhanced by the symposium invite visitors to take a walk and are considered an additional tourist attraction for the municipality.

The tour Paseos de arquitectura popular documents a traditional wrought-iron door knocker on a courtyard gate on C/ Canfranc. The same architectural tour points out numerous ceramic roof cornices in Calatorao, including an example on C/ Berengueles. The activity Circular desde la escuela rural is a tour adapted to Calatorao and connected with the town's cultural and historical-artistic heritage.

Nature

The Sotos along the Jalón River invite visitors to walk amid Aragon's flora and fauna. Together with the cultural walking tours, they provide different focal points for planning a day.

Geographical setting

The municipality of Calatorao is crossed by a railway line, the Autovía de Aragón and regional roads. The regional roads connect it with the Autovía de Logroño and the road to Valencia.

When booking a holiday apartment in Calatorao, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions address different organisational considerations. Depending on personal travel plans, these details may be weighted differently; they describe the framework of the stay, not the sights or routes in the town.

Other places: Puebla De Alfindén, Gotor, Cuarte De Huerva, Alfajarín, Bijuesca, Utebo, Bardallur, Illueca

To the higher-level travel overview: Saragossa.