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The photogenic Montefrío is located in the northwest of the province, in the heart of the Montes Occidentales that form the central sector of the Béticas Massif, between the Parapanda and Chanzas mountain ranges. Its district has one of the most diverse and spectacular landscapes of the region, where the areas of steep vegetation resist along with the cultivated fields of cereals and olive trees.
The mountainous surroundings are ideal for walks and sports, in bike, horse riding, rock climbing, etc.
There are many archaeological rests that give faith of the existence of different settlements from the Half Neolithic period, in the 4500 b.C. The settlement of Castillejos corresponds to this time, located in the place known as La Peña de los Gitanos. In this archaeological station, recently restored, there are many megalithic tombs.
It was already rich in the antiquity: the Mons Frigus of the Latin’s, Montefrid of the Arabs, had to lay out a commercial route from Torre del Mar and Velez-Malaga, passing by Alhama and this place, towards the countryside and the Guadalquivir valley. The Nasrid king Ismail III was crowned here by the Abencerrajes, and here they remained seven years afraid to return to the Granada’s court, where Mohammed X reigned (1445-1453).The king Juan II helped Ismail and the Abencerrajes to surround Granada; the astute Mohammed called these last ones in embassy and he beheaded them in the today called Room of the Abencerrajes of the Alhambra. Ismail escaped to the Alpujarras where later he would become king of Granada with the name of Yusuf V. Montefrío would be taken by the Catholic Kings in 1486.
The weather, the grounds and the cultivated varieties – among which the picual, picuda and hojiblanca, along with some native ones are found, contribute to the exceptional quality of the extra virgin olive oil of Montefrío, whose olive groves are the main chapter of its agriculture. In addition to this rich vegetal fat and the homemade cheeses, that win prizes very often, the local cuisine has a traditional repertoire of tasty recipes, with dishes like choto with garlic, the filling of carnival, sesos al mojeteo, the stew, asparagus and collejas omelettes, the remojón - salad of roasted tomatoes and peppers, orange, onion, eggs and tuna -, and hornazos, without forgetting the specialties from the hunted meat, the delicatessen and the pastry making, with butter buns, with oil and raisins, frying pan twisted rolls, borrachuelos, cuajaos and pestiños.
- Casa de Oficios: It dates from 1579. It is assumed that it was constructed for public use and destined to artisan trades, although throughout the years its use has been very varied. Nowadays, it has been restored to destine it to museum and exhibition hall. It is made with walls of stone work with profuse decoration. As the most outstanding elements it has the three great semi-circular arcs in the ground floor, two great stone braces in form of lions, and three coats of arms, as well as its windows with lintel and freize engraved with a description that registers the date of its construction.
- Centro urbano: At the base of the viewpoint of the castle, the houses become engraved on the rock and descend by San Sebastián until the Plaza de España, the town centre, with the City council, the Trades House, harmonic building of 1579, and the Encarnacion. From here, long waved streets will take you to the hill of the other end of town, with the church of San Antonio, in whose surroundings the plain neoclassic building of the Pósito is located.
- Iglesia de la Encarnación: Its construction was made under the reign of Carlos III. The work began in 1786 and it was finished in 1802. Its form is dominated by a perfect circle, reason why is called popularly the “Rotonda”, to which it leans, as a head, a small rectangle that houses the main chapel and in its sides two small rooms, one like sacristy, with the tower standing out behind the chapel. In the opposite side there is another rectangle for the facade and two small squares with stairs to go up to the choir.
It is a good example of the neoclassicism style, is a solid, original and voluminous building in stone work of central plant, appearing among the best projects that Ventura Rodriguez left in the Granada area. In it they venerate the local patron, the Virgen de los Remedios.
- Iglesia de la Villa (old castle): It was constructed in the rests of the old Nasrid castle, whose time of foundation goes back towards 1352 when Abú-Abdalá Jusuf reigned in Granada, who built it in lands considered strategic for the defence of his borders. For it, he sent the main Alarife of the Alhambra, who chose the place of location in the rock that dominates the town and he planned its construction with a triple enclosure, square of arms, loopholes, ardaves, towers, rain tanks for the water, warehouses and all the necessary to hold a long siege.
After the conquest of Montefrío, the Catholic Kings commanded to construct a church in the castle, as it used to be their custom when conquering any Arab fortress, being finished the work in 1507. Soon, between 1540 and 1942 it was extended by Diego de Siloé, who projected a church in which gothic and mudejar solutions were combined with the decorative repertoires of the Renaissance.
The church has a rectangular plant, of one section and two lateral chapels, tower and baptismal chapel. The section is divided in four bodies, the three bottom ones equal and the upper one longer, with three hornacinas chapels to each side, with semi-circular arcs and moldings. The main facade, very plain, is divided in two horizontal bodies separated by a cornice.
- Iglesia de San Antonio: In the outside of the walls it was raised between 1737 and 1763 the imposing Church of San Antonio (known as “the Panera”, because it occupies an old flour factory). Its outside, of massive aspect, is formed by stone work of limestone stone, standing out its square tower of four bodies, separated by cornices and at the end, the bell tower that has a semi-circular hollow in each facade topped by a capital of ceramics, and all of it crowned by a pointed tile roof of roofing tiles. Its interior has a rectangular central section and to both sides three lateral chapels communicated through corridors. Its elevation is achieved by Doric pillars over plinths.
- Peña de los Gitanos: About 5 kilometres in the direction of Íllora, the place of the Peña de los Gitanos is an extensive area of green terraces between limestone rocky terrains where more than a hundred megalithic settlements have been excavated, an extraordinary archaeological set of the Neolithic period. In the inferior terraces and surrounding an area of about 6 kilometres in length a hundred tombs that seem to be part of three cemeteries are scattered: the one of the Castellón, the Camarilla, and the Rodeo. The dolmens are about eight meters tall.
They have a trapezoidal room in their corridor and they do not conserve the tumulus. In some of them, small projections carved in the stone wares, representing red deers and other engravings have been found. There are also caves that sheltered the settlers, of which deserve to stand out the High Cave and the one of the Tontas, where some cave painting outlines were found.
- Pósito: Building constructed towards 1795 destined to be a grain warehouse. It is in neoclassic style. Its ground floor is diaphanous and rectangular, constructed with stone work with wood forge and cover of Arab roof; and the upper floor, occupying the first crujía of facade, with vertical clearance. Its main facade is centred by a gate with lintel over which there is a commemorative plaque, with a triangular fronton in the centre and coat of arms over it. At the moment it houses the House of the Culture.
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