Santa Catalina Castle Church

The Castle-Church of Santa Catalina is one of the most unique places in Fuenllana, because it summarizes in a single space a good part of the medieval history of the town.

The village grew up nestled on a small rise beside the Tortillo River, in a location that had already been occupied during the Islamic period. There, during the 13th century a strength linked to the organization of the territory by the Order of Santiago, at a time when Fuenllana was beginning to consolidate itself as one of the oldest centers of the Campo de Montiel.

That fortress was in use until the mid-15th century, when it was demolished in the context of the noble conflicts of the time. The church of Santa Catalina was later built on its remains., reusing materials from the castle itself and maintaining the same dominant position overlooking the hamlet. That's why this place is not It should be understood not only as a temple, but as an ancient castle transformed, A building where religious architecture was literally built upon a previous military structure. This overlapping of uses makes the site an exceptional piece for understanding the historical evolution of Fuenllana.

Today, the remains of this ancient building are preserved, already ruined in contemporary times, but still full of landscape and historical power.

Archaeological investigations carried out in recent years have made it possible to locate possible sections of the wall and confirm the importance of the hill as a fortified space and later as a religious and cemetery site.

The visit allows one to clearly understand the relationship between the landscape, the medieval layout of the town, and the enduring memory built over centuries around the same place.