El Viso de San Juan
Hermitage
Church
Information about El Viso de San Juan:
Telephone: 925 559 648
Web: https://elvisodesanjuan.org/municipio/patrimonio-monumental/
Info:
Email: info@elvisodesanjuan.org
The history of this locality is linked to the presence of the castle of Olmos, a Hispano-Roman settlement that would continue with the Visigoths and Muslims, before disappearing during the Christian Reconquest and founding the current town of Viso de San Juan in the 13th century. However, the village of Olmos and its castle survived until the 15th century, when it was finally abandoned and moved to Viso de San Juan. It is from the 15th century onwards that this municipality reached its greatest splendour with the increase in population, a fact that led to the construction of its parish church, as well as various houses and mansions of popular architecture. Strolling through its squares and streets is to discover the traditional flavour of a town that has preserved its urban structure from the past and has been able to embrace contemporary growth while respecting its historical legacy.
Perched on a hill, the town of Viso de San Juan overlooks the whole of its municipal district, made up of gentle undulations and plains that are complemented by the banks of the Guadarrama River. Different paths and routes allow hikers and cyclists to enjoy its extensive plains of cereal fields or to walk along the banks of the river Guadarrama to observe an environmental setting different from the plain, which provides vegetation and fauna characteristic of these fluvial habitats.
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It is located in the highest part of the town, called El Cerro, most probably built in the 15th century. The cemetery stood around it until well into the 19th century when it was built in its present location. The holy water basins, which correspond to ancient Roman capitals made of high quality white marble, and the 16th century granite baptismal font stand out. Over the years, the church has undergone numerous alterations, the most important of which was in 1830, due to the danger of the roof collapsing. In the 1950s, a large part of the roof of the central nave was rebuilt, as it gave way due to the lack of maintenance that could be carried out due to the scarce economic funds of the municipality after the Civil War and post-war years.
Located at a crossroads outside the town walls, it dates back to the 18th century. The most characteristic feature of this building and its surroundings is that it was used as a local cemetery for a few years at the beginning of the 19th century, as legislation no longer allowed burials within the walls of towns for health reasons and it had not yet been possible to build a cemetery. Thanks to an inscription on one of its interior walls, we know that it was renovated in 1942.
It is located on the left bank of the Guadarrama River, overlooking the natural passage of the river, on a high point. This castle was built between the 9th and 10th centuries and is now in an advanced state of ruin. In the surrounding area there was a Muslim settlement, which was conquered by Alfonso VI, together with the castle, in 1079 or 1081, depending on the chroniclers and historical sources of the time. Only a few ruins remain in an advanced state of ruin. Part of a tower is preserved on the eastern slope of the spur, where the castle was located. It has a rectangular ground plan (3 m short side x 2.5 m long side x 6 m high maximum) and is built with a concrete base made of quartzite and brick pebbles mixed with mortar, which would later be covered with brick. On the walls there are semicircular arched openings and other small pointed arched arrow slits. The interior is covered by a slightly pointed barrel vault made of brick. In some areas, the remains of the stucco that once covered the walls can be seen. Along the western slope of the spur where this tower is located, parts of the fortress wall with the same concrete construction of quartzite cobbles and mortared brick can still be seen in the undergrowth. The hill where the fortress is located is divided in two by the CM-4004 road, built in 2001. On the southern side of the road we can see the remains of another watchtower of the same concrete construction. It has a quadrangular floor plan, 1.5 m on each side, with a wall thickness of 1 m and a maximum height of 1 m.
Located on the estate known as El Prado de la Fuente, El Parque del Lavadero or more popularly known as El Pilar, has a spring water spout and a washing place, both buildings built, most probably in the middle of the 19th century, as we can see from the epigraph on the top of the water fountain, which is very deteriorated. What we do know with greater certainty is that the roof of the washhouse was erected in the 1950s with the help of a grant from the Provincial Government of Toledo.
Situated on one of the banks of the Valseco or River Road, it was most probably built at the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century. It is a source more intended to supply livestock, as can be seen from the batteries it possesses.