Tourist sites near Cordoba Spain

Calatrava la Nueva – Another Less-Discovered Medieval Site Between Córdoba and Consuegra

From Córdoba, we headed towards our next stop, Consuegra (La Mancha region) and the land of Don Quixote (with the windmills!). On the way we decided to take a slight detour and visit Calatrava la Nueva, and of course we were rewarded with an amazing experience. I love exploring less-discovered tourist sights and this definitely ranks among them. Calatrava la Nueva is about 184 km (114 miles) or about 2 hours northeast of Córdoba, roughly about half way between Córdoba and Consuegra.

The location of Calatrava la Nueva is shown in the center of the image above.

Calatrava la Nueva is a hilltop medieval castle and convent complex, with a commanding view of an old route connecting La Mancha and Andalusia regions of Spain. The site takes its name from the Order of Calatrava, a Spanish military order that moved to this strategic location in 1217 and served as their headquarters for nearly 600 years. More information on visiting this site can be found here. Evidence of human activity at this site dates back to the Bronze Age. There was a village here at the time of occupation by the Order of Calatrava, but unfortunately most of those structures were destroyed since they did not have defensive or military value at the time.

Below are images taken during our visit. We had the site to ourselves in March. I apologize for the orange hue to the images, this is not a defect in the images, but rather caused by an overcast orange sky due to a big dust storm blowing across the Mediterranean from the Saharan desert at the time of our visit. Millions of fine dust particles suspended in the air reduced the visibility of the surrounding area greatly.

Exterior views of the Castle – an imposing site.
I love this image showing how the natural rock of the steep hill was incorporated into the foundation and walls of the castle – what a lot of work to get the structure’s foundation solid enough to last 800 years!

13th Century Church

A highlight of visiting Calatrava la Nueva is the Church or Convent, which dates from the 13th Century. On the day of our visit, one could feel the nearly 1,000 years of history here.

The 13th Century Convent with its standout rose window over the entrance.
Interior views of the Convent at Calatrava la Nueva.

Other Views of Calatrava la Nueva

On a clear day the views from the towers of the Castle would be amazing. Even with our weather conditions we could still see the extensiveness of the castle grounds and service shops required to support a large garrison.

Views from the towers of Calatrava la Nueva. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate – windy and clouds full of Saharan dust!
Additional views within the Castle complex.
Another view of the Castle Courtyard.

If you find yourself on a driving tour of Spain in the vicinity of Córdoba, take the time to visit Calatrava la Nueva! There was a ticket office on site. The road up to the castle is a bit bumpy and steep, but shouldn’t be a problem for most regular passenger vehicles.