Route of churches, hermitages and monumental squares
Villages and places of interest along the route
Tembleque
Corral de Almaguer
Villarrubia de Santiago
Ocaña
Yepes
Huerta de Valdecarábanos
La Guardia
This itinerary will take the traveller to explore an area of the province of Toledo that stands out for its concentration of large squares, monumental parish churches and hermitages that are outstanding and unique in this territory. A proposal that delves into the architectural wealth of these municipalities, in the uniqueness of their buildings of great artistic, cultural and ethnographic value that defines the personality of the people of this part of the province. The route takes in the region of La Mesa de Ocaña and shyly enters the limits of the region of La Mancha Toledana.
An alternative that in some cases will be accompanied by other tourist resources that complement this proposal, such as natural spaces or hiking routes through unique areas that allow visitors to discover the environment surrounding the towns along this route. Villas in which the visitor will discover through their heritage different historical events relevant to the history of our country, artistic creations of great painters, noble families related to royalty, wines with D.O., architectural styles linked to great architects and other cultural elements that reflect the idiosyncrasy and character of its inhabitants.
We begin our journey in the La Mancha town of Tembleque, where we are welcomed by its spectacular 17th century main square, a square with a long tradition that reminds us of the theatricality of the “corrales de comedias”. A stroll through its streets is to discover a popular Manchegan architecture of whitewashed houses where certain monuments stand out, such as the parish church, a transitional temple between Gothic and Renaissance with an octagonal tower whose construction was supervised by Nicolás Vergara el Mozo. On this walk we cannot miss the Palacio de las Torres, a Baroque-style palace, nowadays in disuse, or the mills that watch over the town from a nearby hill.
The itinerary continues towards the town of Corral de Almaguer to enter its neuralgic centre, which stands out for its large main square that concentrates a mixture of monuments, large ancestral homes and different architectural styles. In its large square we will find a popular architecture of noble houses, the church of the Assumption in Plateresque style, a combination of Gothic and Renaissance unique in this region, complements the configuration of its square the building of the town hall, a neoclassical building that forms an enviable architectural ensemble and one of the most beautiful corners of the town.
Villarrubia de Santiago awaits the visitor to continue to show the architectural beauty of La Mesa de Ocaña, where we find the church of San Bartolomé Apóstol in the Herrerian style, which is different from the rest of the churches in this region. As we enter the historic quarter we come to its large main square or Plaza Mayor or Plaza de la Constitución, which will dazzle any traveller as we observe how its popular architecture is intermingled with unique buildings such as the Casa de Lara, in 19th century modernist style, a fusion of architectural styles that does not alter the architectural ensemble of these constructions but on the contrary produces an effect of great patrimonial beauty. The visit to this village is complemented by the PR-TO 33 hiking route, the Las Fuentes trail, which allows visitors to discover beautiful natural landscapes with 16th century hydraulic architecture.
We leave Villarrubia to head towards the region’s main town, Ocaña, a monumental town of great historical importance for the province of Toledo, which was the scene of courts convened by the kings and even of the betrothal of Isabella and Ferdinand. It is a city that revolves around its large main square, in a classicist Baroque style with large arcades, considered to be the third largest in Spain after Madrid and Salamanca. The square has been the scene of many historical events such as the proclamation of the Constitution of 1812 by Enrique José O’Donnell before the Imperial Alexander Regiment. Centuries of history that ooze from every stroll through its streets and squares, a city that once had a Jewish quarter and a Muslim quarter, hence the importance of this town where there are many stately homes and palaces such as that of Los Cardenas (15th century), churches and convents such as the Renaissance church of the Dominican Fathers (16th century), fountains and washing places such as the Fuente Grande with traces of Juan de Herrera and another series of important monuments that complete its tourist attractions.
The route continues to the neighbouring town of Yepes, a town that once had a walled enclosure of which its entrance gates still survive today, gates that lead us to its main square where the visitor will find the monumentality of the Collegiate Church of San Benito Abad, a Baroque jewel designed by the famous architect Alonso de Covarrubias, which also conserves in its interior several canvases by Luis Tristán, the well-known disciple of El Greco. It is therefore a temple of great heritage, artistic and cultural value that is the pride of this municipality and a reference to the importance that this town once held. To walk through its streets is to discover a vast religious and defensive heritage that has been maintained to the present day, a heritage that is mixed with the popular architecture of the great noble houses that dot the historic centre, a well-deserved walk that will not leave the visitor indifferent. The Calderonian Days, a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest, which have become a Baroque festival, stand out in this town. Over the course of almost a month, different religious and cultural events related to the Golden Age take place, with the Corpus Christi Procession and the Dramatised Routes “A journey through Calderón’s Yepes” being the most outstanding events. With this festival, Yepes aims to bring together the religious and the profane to show the most deeply-rooted traditions hidden behind the stones of its walls.
Finally, the route takes us to the small town of Huerta de Valdecarábanos, where we will be surprised by one of the most architecturally atypical monuments in the province, the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rosario de los Pastores, a modernist style chapel designed by a contemporary and disciple of Gaudí. Therefore, a monument that does not go unnoticed and whose visit is essential, along with it, a walk through the town centre will allow the visitor to contemplate the remains of the 12th century castle or the church of San Nicolás de Bari from the 18th century. Finally, we end the route in the municipality of La Guardia, which invites us to stroll through its historic quarter and discover its cultural heritage, such as its Neoclassical church or its cave houses, characteristic of this town and which were inhabited until the 20th century. A must-see in this municipality is the important Santo Niño hermitage, a 16th-century Renaissance-style temple carved into the limestone rock, which gives it a series of characteristics that make it stand out for its originality compared to the rest of the other hermitages.
The visit to this town is rounded off by the hiking routes Ruta PR-TO 19 that lead to the Laguna de La Guardia, a wetland of special scenic interest, and its wines with D.O. Pago de La Guardia, wines of excellent quality that will delight the most exquisite palates. A proposal that combines different monumental spaces to narrate the history of these municipalities over the centuries.
