La Iglesuela del Cid
Thirty minutes and a coffee. Worth it if you are crossing the pass.
The arcaded main street, and the last village before the descent to the coast.
At a Glance
La Iglesuela del Cid is the third of the Maestrazgo's stone villages, on the road that climbs towards the pass over to Castellón. Its centre is a long, arcaded street — the Plana — lined with stone houses, a substantial church, and a tower, and like its neighbours it has been carefully restored and left almost entirely to itself. It is a natural pause between Cantavieja and the coast road, at the point where Aragón, Valencia and Catalonia meet.
How it got here
The Maestrazgo frontier shifted between Christian and Muslim control throughout the Middle Ages as the orders of the Temple and Saint John of Jerusalem secured these high mountain passes. Ownership fell to the Knights Templar in the thirteenth century after the conquest of the surrounding lands. The village became a commandery of the Order of Malta, which directed the architectural development of the core seen today. These military orders established strongholds to consolidate control over the mountainous border between the Kingdoms of Aragón and Valencia. The stone mansions and the defensive towers indicate the wealth accumulated through sheep farming and the wool trade that defined the local economy for centuries.
Where it sits
The village sits on the high plateau where the terrain breaks toward the coastal plains of the Mediterranean. Thin soils over limestone support scrub oak and hardy grasses that feed the flocks. Winter brings heavy frost and biting winds from the northern peaks while summer days stay brief and cool. Roads wind through narrow limestone gorges to reach the town from the Teruel side. Traffic remains light outside of harvest periods and local feast days. The silence of the high sierra dominates, punctuated by the seasonal movement of livestock and the sharp light reflecting off the pale stone masonry.
What to eat and drink
Jamón de Teruel, cured for long months in the cold mountain air, forms the foundation of the local diet. Ternasco, milk-fed lamb roasted with potatoes, provides the heavy meal required by the mountain climate. Sopa de ajo, a broth thickened with bread, garlic and pimentón, warms the evenings during the long winters. Bakers prepare tortas de alma, small pastries filled with pumpkin preserve or nuts, reflecting the traditional reliance on orchard crops. Local vintners produce red wines from the lower slopes of the province, which pair with the sharp sheep cheeses produced by the flocks grazing the surrounding scrub.
Aragón: the whole region
Three landscapes in one region: the Pyrenees and their canyons in the north, the dry Ebro plain with Zaragoza at its centre, and the high, empty south where Teruel's villages and the Maestrazgo stand. It is the least-visited half of…
Minimum 4 days · better 7-8 days · deep 10-12 days
In Aragón
In Aragón
In Aragón
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