Sevilleja de la Jara
Town hall
Church of San Sebastián
Information from Sevilleja de la Jara:
Telephone: 925 455 001
Web:
Info:
Email: ayuntamientosevilleja@hotmail.es
A group of Andalusian Mozarabs fleeing from the persecution of the Almoravids, led by Clemente, bishop-elect of Seville, arrived in Talavera at the beginning of the 13th century and from there they went to a place in La Jara where they built their homes, thus creating the new place which they named Sevilleja in memory of their city of origin. From the original settlement, other population centres were created, although some, such as La Nava, later separated from this municipality. Today the villages of Gargantilla, Buenasbodas, Puerto Rey and Minas de Santa Quiteria are hamlets of Sevilleja.
The main wealth of Sevilleja de la Jara is hunting, so it is not surprising that at the entrance to the village is the first Social Game Preserve in Spain, a large small game preserve covering an area of more than 30,000 hectares, including the municipalities of Sevilleja and Anchuras, in the provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real, respectively. The landscape is beautiful, almost infinite, with flat mountains that break the horizon line and prevent any population centre from being seen. The Cíjara reservoir is the natural boundary of the reserve, now in the province of Cáceres.
The town centre is notable for its narrow, sloping streets where traditional architecture in slate and quartzite predominates. In its modest square, the tower of the town hall stands out.
Tourist Information
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What to see?
On the outskirts of the village, in popular style, is the Ermita del Santo Cristo Arrodillado (Chapel of the Holy Christ Kneeling). It has a rectangular floor plan with a single nave, with access from the base.
The church dates from the late 16th or early 17th century and is dedicated to San Sebastián. It consists of three naves separated by two rows of five granite columns, the same material as the pulpit, which is decorated with crosses and bouquets of flowers. The church is built in masonry plastered with slate and quartzite, as is the first section of the tower, the other three of which are made of brick.
It is a centre of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha that specialises in the recovery of birds of prey and carries out important work in the conservation of these birds. It is a regional benchmark for wildlife recovery and environmental awareness, learning and sensitisation activities, mostly aimed at schoolchildren in the province of Toledo, although it also works with cultural associations and environmental education classrooms. Private visits are permitted but must be booked in advance by phoning 925 455156.
Near the village is the old train station of Campillo-Sevilleja, known as Pizarrita and part of the Vía Verde de la Jara. This 52-kilometre-long path runs along the old railway line linking Calera y Chozas and Santa Quiteria, which never came into operation. A project from the time of Alfonso XIII, which arose to communicate the centre of the peninsula with Extremadura. This Nature Trail can be easily done by bicycle, on foot or on horseback. The entire route is punctuated by scrubland, holm oaks, the odd cork oak, thyme and many other species of aromatic plants. You can also find abundant fauna, especially passerines, as the large mammals tend to stay in the foothills of the sierras and do not come down to the old railway line. It is crossed by several viaducts and tunnels that give this Greenway a unique and special character for nature lovers. (www.viasverdes.com/itinerarios/itinerario.asp?id=103)
