The village of La Iglesuela is located at 1227 meters above sea level at the foot of one of the many morrones that mark the region. The history of the town begins several millennia ago, with human groups traveling through these lands and leaving their traces in several sites in the surroundings, such as the Iberian-Roman site of Morrón del Cid, where the remains of the wall and a large cistern can be found. Several inscriptions and a funerary monument are also preserved.
Some toponyms of the municipality, a legend, and even its own name, recall the passage of the Cid Campeador through the municipality. The first reference to the locality is found in a document of donation of 1204 from Pedro II of Aragon to Gascon de Castellot. In 1212 it was already mentioned within the limits of the Bailiwick of Cantavieja and in 1242 it was granted a town charter by the Order of the Temple. In 1317, when this and the other towns were dissolved, they became dependent on the Hospitaller Order of San Juan.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the noble families, enriched by the wool trade, built numerous palaces and manor houses in Renaissance style. This is the period of greatest splendor for the locality and thanks to which we find such emblematic buildings as the Aliaga House.
During the Carlist Wars of the 19th century, La Iglesuela del Cid was also affected by the clashes between liberals and Carlists. An important moment for the Villa is the visit of the pretender Don Carlos V to Maestrazgo, who stayed at Casa Blinque for eight days in early August 1837. There, in addition to replenishing his strength, he dictated numerous government measures.
The impressive heritage of La Iglesuela del Cid
The town center is dominated by the Torre de los Nublos (13th century), the old keep of the Templar castle attached to the Casas Consistoriales (16th century), this building is characterized by its unique windows and its pointed arches. Next to it is located the Church of the Purification, ancient medieval temple with deep baroque reform. These two buildings together with the Blinque and Matutano-Dauden mansions delimit the unique church square.
In addition to this magnificent square, La Iglesuela has a number of buildings worth mentioning. The group of ancestral homes (the Guijarro, the Aliaga, the Dauden, the Matutano, etc.), the walls and the Portal de San Pablo stand out. In addition, there are also the fountain, the bridges and its numerous hermitages. Of the latter, the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Cid, about 3 kilometers from the town center, next to an Ibero-Roman city, stands out.
All this heritage, a reflection of a past of economic prosperity, helped the town to be declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1982. But if this town stands out for anything, it is for its impressive landscape of architecture in Piedra Seca, one of the best in Aragon and Europe. It has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and consists of about 150 huts surrounded by dozens of kilometers of walls, roads and azagadores . No wonder it has been included in the list of Pueblos Mágicos de España.
If you want to visit the monuments inside, click on the following link and contact the Tourist Office.
