The oldest data on the settlement of Aldeanueva de Barbarroya date from 500,000 years ago, when some of the Stone tools found in the Lomo hill were made.
Later on there must have been a number of Roman Age settlements, as can be seen from various finds in the Lomo hill, mostly around the old Barbarroya Shrine.
The area remained populated throughout the High Middle Age, as can be seen in the nearby Ciudad de Vascos. After the Christian reconquest, new settlements were established in the 11th and 12th centuries, whose remains can be seen in the Pilas fields, or near the Virgen del Espino Shrine, where there was another settlement known as Aldea del Espino. Other settlements from this age are located on Lomo hill and Corralrubio.
These were small settlements, which must have included the one which according to historical sources was known as Santiago de la Zarzuela. This was the largest population nucleus in the área, as proven by the fact that until the 18th century its curacy comprised the parishes of Aldeanueva, la Estrella, Mohedas and Sevilleja. Thus primitive population nucleus must have been abandoned early on, and it was only from the 15th century on that current town on Aldeanueva de Barbarroya gradually became important, and eventually became the successor to the previous settlement, as proven by the fact that it inherited the leadership of the aforementioned religious división, and that it became a propery of the Toledo archbishopric, under the jurisdiction of Talavera de la Reina.
MONUMENTS
The town of Aldeanueva de Barbarroya has an important natural and historical heritage. .
Due to the Aldeanueva’s geographic location, its profile is very rough, with a rich Mediterranean forest and various kinds of birds of prey, as in the case of the Huso ravine, an área of huge environmental value. This environmental wealth is currently being highlighted thanks to the Jara Greenway, which crosses a large part of the municipality, following an old railway line. .
It also has a significant historical and artistic heritage, with various monuments and, above all, a rich simple of folk elements which until recently characterised the rural life of our people. .
It is also worth your while to take a look at the farmstead, were a number of granite constructions with armorial bearing on their façades are preserved. .
The church stands over the farmstead, and the difference between the two stages of its construction is obvious. The first stage, which is evidence of a monumental project, was started under Master Trujillo’s supervisión, and dates back to 1514: it is of Gothic Plateresque style with a three-wall apse and buttresses topped by Renaissance balls. The apse is covered by a cross vault with medallions in its keystones. The westernmost part, with two doors, is more modestly constructed, and is covered by a simple wooden panelling. The main door is in the western wall, and is topped by a steeple with two cavities housing the bells.
As for the original 17th-century altarpiece, by the Toledo artist Gaspar de Cerezo and comprised 5 stages carved in gilded wood of great artistic value. It was destroyed in 1936. The current altarpiece dates from 1957.
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Virgen del Espino Shrine:
It comprises a small chapel with a single nave. It has a simple panelling, and its main feature is a large peristyle on its three sides with pillars and columns telling about its importance as a pilgrimage centre.
Inside is the image of the Virgen del Espino, the Virgin of the Hawthorn, who is honoured by a crowded pilgrimage on the last Sunday of August.
Outstanding inside is the 1252 tombstone of a protector knight who fought in Flanders
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Plaza de España:
Built in 1949 with granited from the Dehesa Boyal quarry, it occupies an area of about 1,300 m2..
Roman Road:
Partly overlapping with the old Azután road and also with the área known as Riberos are various remains of an old Roman road. The granite blocks, arranged on a single layer and not in four layers, as was the case with secondary, as opposed to main, roads, are framed by sidestones.
Pilas Burial Site: in this field there are various burials in the rock. They date from the 12th-13th centuries, and are a simple of funerary rites during the medieval repopulation of Castile.
El Canto del Perdón:
A magical spot where travellers can find rock art which, despite the fact that the carving next to it dates from the 18th century, is probably a Bronze Age carving with later additions. Folklore has it that if you throw a Stone and make a wish, it will come true and your sins will be forgiven. .
FESTIVITIES
Nuestra Señora la Virgen de la Paz
24th January.
Scheduled events, together with various religious acts, are the following: Reveille, Crafts Exhibition, Children’s Show, Day of the Child, Board Game, and Dances.
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Nuestra Señora la Virgen del Espino
The pilgrimage takes place on the last Sunday of August, and the fair takes place during the previous 15 days.
Scheduled events, together with various religious acts, are the following: Pilgrimage, Cultural and Sports Week, Bullfights, Reveille, Day of the Child, Dances, Shows, and Float Competition.
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