Although Portugal is very close to us, you don’t even have to go to the neighboring country to feel in it. Built between meadows of holm oaks and cork oaks bathed by the largest reservoir in Western Europe, it looms Olivenza, a Spanish town with a Portuguese soul whose history makes it a cultural reference point on the Spanish-Portuguese border. A fortified town full of white houses, buildings with arcades, Manueline touches and cobbled floors that since 2019 has been considered one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain.
The history of Olivenza (less than 30 kilometers south of Badajoz) begins in the s. XIII, when it was founded by the Order of the Temple. It belonged to Portugal until 1801 and in fact, this region was the last to be incorporated into the territory of Spain. To this day, the oliventinos and their descendants have the right to dual Spanish-Portuguese nationality.
And it is that, at present, the place does not renounce its Portuguese tradition and both the Spanish and Portuguese monuments have been restored so that they the best of both worlds worlds shine in all its splendor. In general, all its architecture presents a mixture of styles from both countries, and its monumental heritage is very extensive.
However, it stands out above all for its walls, since it is one of the historical complexes with the largest walled extensions on the peninsula. Its border character was what motivated the construction of bastion fortifications, which were associated with the Santa Bárbara powder magazine, the guardhouses at the gates, and the barracks.
The old town, surrounded by walls, had a total of 14 towers. In 1334 the construction of the fortress within the walls began. But it was in 1488 when he rose the tallest tower on the border, with 37 meters.
Inside the fortress, and in the King’s Bakery, which dates from the 18th century, is the Ethnographic Museum. The church of the madeleinefrom the 16th century, is also an authentic masterpiece of the Manueline style (the Portuguese late Gothic, brother of the Spanish Plateresque).
That of the Brotherhood of Mercy reached its current appearance in 1732, although its hospital has been constantly reformed. On the other hand, the construction of the Poor Clares Convent either Saint John of God It took almost a century (1556-1631) and is currently a Cultural Center and School of Theater and Dance.
In the chapel of the Gospel, of Santa María del Castillo you can admire the most surprising altarpiece in Olivenzaone of the few conserved of its kind, which represents a tree 15 meters high.
Cover photo | @turismodeolivenza
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