Los Molinos de Ocón: Churches, Olive Mill and Horseback Riding Route

At the highest point of Los Molinos stands the parish church of San Babil. In the Bodegas district is the Hermitage of Santa María de Velilla, whose platform offers exceptional views of several places in Ocón, including Los Molinos, Pipaona and Las Ruedas, the Castillo de La Villa and the Sierra la Hez nature area.

Culture and History

Parts of the Hermitage of Santa María de Velilla date from the 16th century; it was extensively rebuilt in the 18th century. Its Renaissance altarpiece from the mid-16th century depicts the seated Virgin Mary.

The Church of San Babil was built in the 17th century with the involvement of Juan and Martín de Alzaga. The Church of San Babil houses a life-size 17th-century crucifix in a Neoclassical altarpiece.

The former cooperative olive mill of the villages of Ocón, Trujal de Ocón, is located in Los Molinos. Trujal de Ocón preserves its original rooms, machinery and traditional mechanisms for producing olive oil unchanged.

The accommodation for seasonal workers employed in the olive mill is preserved on the mezzanine level of Trujal de Ocón. The Lavadero de Los Molinos is located beside the path leading from the village towards Pipaona and is a simple masonry building with rounded rubble stone, a gabled roof and a wooden-beam ceiling.

The various forms and uses of the buildings can be considered as separate themes for travel planning: sacred architecture, historic furnishings, traditional working life and rural everyday history.

The history of the village is revealed at different scales: in churches and altarpieces, in the preserved areas of the former mill operation and in the simple washhouse. Those wishing to compare these themes can view the named places as separate focal points encompassing religious art, olive oil production and rural everyday life.

The hermitage, Trujal de Ocón, washhouse and churches thus form a varied sequence of historical points of reference. The religious buildings, former olive mill and washhouse do not represent the same building purpose; instead, each preserves its own forms, materials and uses.

More village pages: Muro De Aguas, Ventosa, Ausejo, Tirgo, Munilla, San Román De Cameros, Panzares and Enciso.

Water and Paths

Fuente Grande is a nature area where water from the Sierra is collected, channelled and conveyed onwards to El Redal. The nature area has a space for maintenance exercises, tables, benches and plenty of shade from poplar groves. Today, Fuente Grande is used by local residents for leisure and recreation, especially in summer.

The horseback riding route runs mostly along unpaved rural paths with gentle inclines. It is approved by the Real Federación de Hípica Española.

Fuente Grande and the horseback riding route therefore represent two clearly distinguishable themes in Los Molinos: here, water management, poplar groves, tables and benches shape the nature area, while there, unpaved paths and gentle inclines determine the route. The approved route thus forms a separate focal point alongside the water-related landscape.

For a holiday apartment in Los Molinos de Ocón, travel dates, room category and cancellation policies can help structure the selection on the accommodation pages. The themes already described – churches, olive mill, water landscape and horseback riding route – provide different areas of focus for the stay without combining them into a single unified image of the village.

For the broader travel overview: La Rioja.