MONTEFRIO

Located off the tourist trail in the north western corner of Granada province near the Cordoba border, this friendly village enjoys one of the region's most striking settings, with one of its churches perched on top of a bare, rocky pinnacle, overlooking the town and its surrounding hillsides covered in olive groves and fields of cereal crops. It nestles between two memorable hilltop churches; and you can't miss either of them since they dominate the skyline. Montefrio is still very Moorish in character, and the ruins of the Moorish castle sits near the highest point. Being built midway between the Sierra de Priego and Sierra Parapanda, and commanding the open valley between these ranges, it became one of the chief frontier fortresses of the Moors in the 15th century. The climate of Montefrío is a continental Mediterranean type and the economy is typically agrarian, with olives the main crop. The relatively limited industry revolves around agricultural processing such as oil and dairy products. The population is reported as 6,688, with 3,337 men and 3,351 women.

Origins
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. Later, 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 Montefrio, towards the countryside and the Guadalquivir valley. The Nasrid king Ismail III was crowned here by the Abencerrajes, and here they remained for 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.

After conquering Montefrío in 1486, the Catholic Monarchs ordered the castle to be demolished and a church built in its place to help defend the Muslim kingdom of Granada and prevent an invasion by the Christians. The architect Diego de Siloé later became involved in the church's design.

Architecture & Things To See

On the rocky outcrop is the Iglesia de la Villa, and although the church no longer holds services, there is a small history museum inside it, the Centro de Intepretación La Centinela, with interactive displays on the former castle, the church and the conflict between the Muslims and the Christians in 15th-century Granada. It's open Monday to Friday from 12pm to 2pm. The church is believed to have been designed by the same architect who was in charge of the Alhambra.

Down in the centre of town is the pantheon-style Iglesia de la Encarnación, which has a huge domed roof and was designed in the 18th century by the acclaimed neoclassical architect Ventura Rodríguez.

Signposted off the road to Illora, about 7km east of Montefrío, is an intriguing and unmissable archaeological site, the Penas de los Gitanos, which has evidence of human settlement from Neolithic times to the Bronze Age. In this archaeological station, recently restored, there are many megalithic tombs.

Excavations here have unearthed numerous artefacts including combs made from bone, flint arrowheads and shards of decorative ceramics in the collection of prehistoric dolmens and cave dwellings, one of which has primitive rock paintings. Also here is a medieval citadel, the remains of a Roman fort and, in the gorge below, six water mills.

Food & Drink
Montefrío is renowned for its sausage-making tradition and you can try some of the excellent sausages (chorizo and salchichón) and blood pudding (morcilla) in the village bars. The relatively limited industry revolves around agricultural processing such as oil and dairy products.
The weather, and the grounds contribute to the exceptional quality of the extra virgin olive oil of Montefrío, whose olive groves are the main stay of its agriculture. In addition to this, there are homemade cheeses that win prizes very often, and the local cuisine has a traditional repertoire of tasty recipes, with dishes like choto with garlic, sesos al mojeteo- a stew, asparagus and collejas omelettes, and the remojón – a salad of roasted tomatoes and peppers, orange, onion, eggs and tuna. There are also 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

Fiestas/Festivals
Saint Sebastian (20th January)
La Candelaria (1st February), popular bonfires.
Saint Mark (25th April)
Saint Ysidore (15th May), Patron saint of farmers. – processions and a fiesta
Pilgrimage to the Ruipérez site.
Summer Fair (7th-8th July)
Patron holidays (14th-17th August)
Autumn Fair (18th-20th September)