Gérgal Castle

Gérgal Castle, locally known as Castillo de Gérgal, lies on a hill above the village of Gérgal in the province of Almería in Spain.

Gérgal Castle was built somewhere during the Late Middle Ages during Muslim rule. By 1492 it had fallen into the hands of the Catholic Monarchs; Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They donated the castle to Alonso de Cárdenas, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, for outstanding services during the Granada War.

During the 16th century it played an important defensive role against the inland raids of Barbary pirates, who were supported by the remaining Moorish population. In 1568 the Moors rebelled and the Christians in Gérgal were massacred and the Moors held the castle. They were driven out some time later and the castle was destroyed by Christian forces to avoid a repeated use by the Moors. Between 1571 and 1620 all the Moors were expelled from the Iberian mainland. This left the area around Gérgal Castle depopulated and open to banditry.

During the first half of the 17th century Gérgal Castle was rebuilt on the site of the old Muslim fortification to restore order and favor repopulation in the area. In the middle of the 18th century it belonged to Isabel Pacheco Portocarrero, Countesss of Puebla del Maestre and Marchioness of Torre de las Sirgadas. She used it for storing grains.

When her descendants died out in 1940, the castle went to the local council. In 1968 it went to the State who auctioned it off, in 1972, to a private individual.

The castle we see today dates back to the rebuilding in the 17th century. Its core is a square crenelated tower with lower round towers at its corners. At its northwestern facade and attached to one of the corner towers is a semicircular bastion. It is build up out of horizontally laid slabs of slate. The castle is now also equipped with a crenelated outer wall, but this was built by the present owner.

At present Gérgal is a private residence and thus can not be visited. It can easily be seen from the public road next to it. Too bad, I would love to see the interior of this beautiful castle that to me has a more French feel than an Andalusian.

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Gérgal Castle

Gérgal Castle, locally known as Castillo de Gérgal, lies on a hill above the village of Gérgal in the province of Almería in Spain.

Gérgal Castle was built somewhere during the Late Middle Ages during Muslim rule. By 1492 it had fallen into the hands of the Catholic Monarchs; Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They donated the castle to Alonso de Cárdenas, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, for outstanding services during the Granada War.

During the 16th century it played an important defensive role against the inland raids of Barbary pirates, who were supported by the remaining Moorish population. In 1568 the Moors rebelled and the Christians in Gérgal were massacred and the Moors held the castle. They were driven out some time later and the castle was destroyed by Christian forces to avoid a repeated use by the Moors. Between 1571 and 1620 all the Moors were expelled from the Iberian mainland. This left the area around Gérgal Castle depopulated and open to banditry.

During the first half of the 17th century Gérgal Castle was rebuilt on the site of the old Muslim fortification to restore order and favor repopulation in the area. In the middle of the 18th century it belonged to Isabel Pacheco Portocarrero, Countesss of Puebla del Maestre and Marchioness of Torre de las Sirgadas. She used it for storing grains.

When her descendants died out in 1940, the castle went to the local council. In 1968 it went to the State who auctioned it off, in 1972, to a private individual.

The castle we see today dates back to the rebuilding in the 17th century. Its core is a square crenelated tower with lower round towers at its corners. At its northwestern facade and attached to one of the corner towers is a semicircular bastion. It is build up out of horizontally laid slabs of slate. The castle is now also equipped with a crenelated outer wall, but this was built by the present owner.

At present Gérgal is a private residence and thus can not be visited. It can easily be seen from the public road next to it. Too bad, I would love to see the interior of this beautiful castle that to me has a more French feel than an Andalusian.

Gallery

Details
Hits: 5141