Rochafrida Castle

Rochafrida Castle, known in medieval documents as San Felices Castle, is located within the municipality of Ossa de Montiel, at the head of the Ruidera Lakes, next to the San Pedro Lagoon and very close to the hermitage of the same name. The fortress occupies a small, flat-topped hill overlooking the Alarconcillo stream valley and the historic route between Ossa and the lakes, in a landscape where water, pastures, and paths explain much of its importance.

The site has been occupied since ancient times and contains materials from the Andalusian period, although the preserved fortress is a feudal construction linked to the Order of Santiago, built in the second half of the 13th century. Historical records place the site in the donation of Ossa and San Felices to Suero Téllez in 1216, in the demarcation of 1254, and in its subsequent incorporation into the domain of the Order of Santiago in 1259. Its function was not only military: it also allowed control of a valuable pastureland, livestock grazing, water, and the resources of the lagoon banks.

The current remains reveal a walled enclosure adapted to the rocky plateau, with an irregular layout, a main gate, access areas, a quarry associated with its construction, and an upper section identified with the main tower. The Topographical Reports of Philip II already describe it in the 16th century as a ruined castle, with walls of lime and stone, surrounded by the waters of the Guadiana River. This image of ruin, combined with its connection to the Cave of Montesinos and the ballads of Rosaflorida, made Rochafrida one of the most evocative places in the historical landscape of the Ruidera Lakes.