The town of Mondéjar lies on an area of irregular land and the cemetery is perched on the highest point. The surrounding land offers a general view of the town and its sites.

Of the old wall which once surrounded the town there are only isolated remains of cut stone.
The marquis’ palace, a building of which practically nothing remains though we can still see stones of an arch and Serlian dressed stone, had clear mannerist characteristics.
 

MONDEJAR, INTERESTING PLACES

The Parroquial Church

The Parish Church of Santa María Magadalena (Saint Mary Magdalene) in the Plaza Mayor (Main Square) is surrounded by 19th-century buildings with arcades. It was declared a monument in 1931. It is Gothic in style from the first thirty years of the 16th century and was built by Cristóbal Nicolás de Andoza following the structure of the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) in Granada. The church has three 35-metre-long naves which are separated by pointed arches and have a cross vault. Outside are two plateresque doorways. The sacristy has become home to a small parish museum, some of the highlights of which are a 1550 processional cross by a silversmith named Juan Francisco, a Baroque monstrance and an embroidered liturgical garment known as the “terno rico” or the “terno de los Apóstoles”. 

Convent of San Antonio

In the outskirts are the ruins of the Convent of San Antonio (Saint Anthony) which were declared a monument in 1921. The convent was founded by Don Íñigo López de Mendoza at the end of the 15th century and was built between the end of that century and the beginning of the following one. Remains exist of the façade and the gable end of the chevet, and the covered archivolt doorway.
 

Ermita de San Sebastián

The Chapel of San Sebastián (Saint Sebastian), which dominates the village, dates from the beginning of the 16th century. A highlight inside is the crypt or Cueva de los Judíos (Vault of Jews) with floats representing the Passion of Christ with polychrome plaster statues in vivid colours which were restored in 1973. we know that they are more than four centuries old as they are documented as far back as 1581.

MONDEJAR's WINES

Wine from Mondejar includes the municipalities of Albacete de Zorita, Albares, Almoguera, Almohacid de Zorita, Driebes, Escariche, Escopete, Fuentenovilla, Illana, Loranca de Tajuña, Mazuecos, Mondejar, Pastrana, Pioz, Pozo de Almoguera, Sacedon, Sayaton, Valdeconcha, Yebra and Zorita de Canes, which in total makes up an area of 93,962 hectares.

The production area includes 2,100 hectares divided into 1,423 in the Municipal District of Mondejar, and 240 hectares in the Municipal District of Sacedon.

In general terms, this is a transitional area between the southern border of la Alcarria and the northern limit of the plateau of la Mesa de Ocaña in the south. The perimeter in question belongs to cuenca del Tajo, this and Tajuña being the largest sources of water that flow from the northeast to the southwest. The district therefore has a tubular morphology and trapped rivers on one hand and extensive hills and plains on the other, with an average height of 800 m.

Edaphologically, it shares two types of soil, the agricultural features of the delimited area being as follows: 1st Classification: Red soil on top of silt and clay sediments with gravel (Luvisol-Calcium-Chromic). 2nd Classification: Grey limey soil on top of thin soil, sandstone, arenisca, and mixed soil (cambisol - calcium).

 

RECOPOLIS ARCHAEOLOGY PARK

Visit Recópolis to discover an exceptional city, the only large city founded at the instance of a Royal Family in Europe at the beginning of the Middle Ages.
The city of Recópolis was built by Leovigildo in 578 in memory of his son Recaredo. It is one of the few towns where remains of Vicegod culture are still preserved. The city was the administrative, political and economic centre, and a witness to the importance of the Kingdom of Toledo.

As one walks through the site, one discovers an exceptional historical landscape, and a way of understanding the various medieval societies that lived here: the Vicegods, peoples of Al-Andalus and the Feudal Lords.

The scenery surrounding Recópolis, includes the castle in Zorita de los Canes, the aqueduct and the quarries from various periods, as well as pathways, waterways and medieval mills, integrated in a nature site with a high environmental value that has not suffered transformation since medieval times.

Buildings, objects and individuals all tell us the about history of the peoples who lived here, worked the land and transformed into a city. This archaeology park promotes a dialogue with our past, with our memories and our cultural references.

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