The Bent Page

East of Segovia, you’ll find the tiny town of Torégano and one of the most unusual castles I’ve seen in Spain.

From the photo above, you may be thinking it’s just another pile of rocks left over from another age. In some ways it is. The original fortress was built around the Tenth Century. Over the years it was expanded and modified.

You can see how the outer wards were expanded and a larger keep installed, rising to several stories. However, what makes this site most curious is the construction of a large church within the center.

The church spans the entire center courtyard, and when it was built, the older columns were simply covered over and incorporated into the newer structure. From the upper keep, you can see the roof of the church and the countryside beyond.

What a view! The tiles on that roof are showing their age, and the floor that used to be located here is gone. But the window seats by the arrow ports are still in place within the span of the wall. There’s a story behind the church being built within this castle. It’s a long one, like so many about Spain, so I’ll skip it for this blog post. Nonetheless, take a final look at the keep from the outside.

Imposing is the right word. If you happen to visit this town, don’t forget La Casa Vieja, a fine restaurant and inn where you’ll have a great meal and peaceful rest. See an earlier post on that subject.