Iglesia de la Villa, Montefrío

About Iglesia de la Villa, Montefrío

The Iglesia de la Villa, officially Santa María, stands on a sheer outcrop at the top of Montefrío in western Granada province. The Nasrid castle here dates from around 1352 and guarded the frontier with Castile until the town surrendered in 1486. The Catholic Monarchs then ordered a church inside the walls, designed by Diego de Siloé and Jorge de Baeza and completed in 1570. It is a Bien de Interés Cultural.

Stretches of wall and a gateway survive around the church. Inside, the single vaulted nave houses El Centinela, a centre on the last frontier of al-Andalus and the war of 1482–1492. From the terrace you look down on the white town, a view that put Montefrío on National Geographic's list of towns with the best views.

Entry costs €2, €1.50 each for groups of ten or more, free for under-12s, with no booking. It opens Tuesday to Friday 10:30–14:00, Saturday 10:30–14:00 and 16:00–18:00, and Sunday 11:00–14:00 and 16:00–18:00; the gate is locked at closing. From the tourist office it is a 10-minute climb up steep lanes and steps, or drive up Calle Gracia and Calle Arco to parking beside the church. Allow 45 minutes to an hour. Ramps help visitors with reduced mobility who arrive by car.

Spring and autumn suit the climb; summer middays are hot on the rock. For the classic photo, walk to the viewpoints across town.

Iglesia de la Villa, Montefrío in pictures

What you’ll find

• Car parkParkingFree
• ExhibitionExhibition visit (Free–€2, 10:30–14:00)Ticket
• Monument visitSelf-guided visit (Free–€2, 10:30–14:00)Ticket
• Step-free accessAccessible visitFree
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

Montefrío sits in the hills between Granada and Córdoba provinces. The Alcazaba of Loja (21 km) was the next Nasrid frontier stronghold to the south, while the Federico García Lorca House Museum (20 km) in Valderrubio preserves the poet's family home on the Vega. Across the provincial border, the Adolfo Lozano Sidro House Museum (21 km) in Priego de Córdoba shows the painter's work, and the Playa de Valdearenas (28 km) is a reservoir beach at Iznájar. Just outside Montefrío, the Peñas de los Gitanos archaeological site has dolmens and Roman remains, and the town is known for its cured sausages.