Monroyo: Castles, Churches and Trails in Aragón

Monroyo in Aragón is home to the Castillo de la Muela de Monroyo, a prominent example of cultural heritage: under Aragonese cultural heritage law, it belongs to the castles classified as Bienes de Interés Cultural.

Culture and History

The Portal de Santo Domingo is the only surviving gate of Monroyo’s historic city wall. Its current structure dates from the mid-18th century, while its origins reach back to the Middle Ages.

Monroyo’s town hall is a Renaissance building dating from 1588, constructed on the remains of older Gothic buildings. On the ground floor is the former prison area with three cells, which was used from the 16th century until the mid-20th century and has been prepared for tourist visits as part of the Cárceles del Mezquín-Matarraña route. It is at street level and is free to access.

The current parish church of the Assumption of Mary was created through an extensive renovation of its original 13th-century Gothic structure, carried out in the 16th century. The church houses an organ built by Francisco Zurita in 1887. A Romanesque baptismal font, carved from a single block of stone, is also displayed there.

Landmarks and Traditions

The Marqués de Santa Coloma manor house has a five-storey main façade with white plasterwork, a wooden eaves cornice and a round-arched main portal. Hostal Vell is a manor house that combines Gothic and Renaissance architecture and preserves above its main entrance a coat of arms that probably belonged to Count Borrás. Hostal Vell’s use as an inn from the Middle Ages until the mid-20th century gave it its popular name.

Casa Miquel-Joan preserves an elaborately carved coat of arms that reveals the history and lineage of earlier families of the house. According to local tradition, Casa Caldú was the meeting place where the Order of Calatrava collected the tithe. According to local oral tradition, Casa Raimundo was the residence of the commander of the Order of Calatrava.

El Pou de la Vila is located near the centre of Monroyo and served to supply drinking water as well as for household purposes. A noria system allowed water to be drawn through taps. Monroyo’s Feria de Artesanía y Alimentación takes place on the first weekend of November and dates back to a royal authorisation granted in 1382 for an annual fair.

Trails and Landscape

The Monroyo–La Cerollera PR-TE-11 hiking trail is 8 kilometres long, has a low level of difficulty and passes among almond trees and pine forests. The different trail lengths and types of routes can be compared directly when planning a trip.

La Mola is a viewpoint above Monroyo, accessible via a short path of approximately 50 metres. From La Mola, there are views of the Puertos de Beceite massif and a landscape of pastures, fields and terraces. Santa Bárbara is a Baroque church in ruins on a flat hill with extensive panoramic views.

The Monroyo–Fuente de la Mançana route begins at the Portal de Santo Domingo in Monroyo and leads to a spring beside a shelter and a pine tree known as the largest pine in the Monroyo district. Beside the La Consolación hermitage stands a large elm tree catalogued as a notable tree. A section of the GR-8 crosses the municipality of Monroyo on its way to the Maestrazgo and connects with the GR-7 in the Puertos de Beceite.

Other Places

Other places available to choose from include Ojos Negros, Celadas, Rubiales, Cantavieja, Albarracín, Berge, Aldehuela and Urrea De Gaén.

To the higher-level travel overview: Teruel.