Once a year Castellote returns to the Middle Ages and becomes “Villa Templaria“. With this festival, the town commemorates the fall of the Templar fortress in the 14th century at the hands of the royal troops of James II.
This king had decreed the extinction of the order and the abandonment of its possessions, which the warrior-monks refused. This led to a long siege of eleven months that ended with their surrender on November 2, 1308. The loss of the castle meant that it passed into the hands of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem until the 18th century.
The recreation that the castellotanos perform revolves around this important moment in their history, but each year the representation changes. With the advice and active collaboration of the recreation group Templarios de Teruel, the neighbors get more and more involved by participating in the different recreations, which culminate in the night climb to the castle, where the events end.
But the town also dresses up for the occasion, decorating the streets with banners and Templar references, and hosting the medieval market with stalls of all kinds: food, drink, jewelry, various handicrafts in wood, glass, etc., in addition to multiple activities, among which highlights the exhibition and flight of birds of prey.
The Templars were the lords of Maestrazgo throughout the 13th century. They laid the foundations for the organization of the towns and villages by granting population charters with the aim of attracting settlers to populate this territory.
We can still cite spaces that today remind us of the Templars in Maestrazgo. The most outstanding is the emblematic castle of Castellote and the keep located in the same municipality, which today is an Interpretation Center about the Templars; but there are others such as the church of the virgin of the Carrasca in Bordón, the castle of Cantavieja and its urban structure, the castle of Mirambelthe Torre de los Nublos in La Iglesuela del Cid and the gate of La Murada in Villarluengo, among others.
You have more information about this period here and you can download the brochure about the Templars in Maestrazgo in this link.
This year 2023 the festival will take place on the weekend of October 28th and 29th. During the festival you can also visit the Templar Tower, dedicated to this military order and, to whet your appetite, you can watch last year’s promotional video.
*Cover photo: “Ascent to the Templar Castle” by Elisa López Castel, winner of the second prize of the Maestrazgo Photography Contest 2023.
