Granátula de Calatrava is a municipality in the

province of Ciudad Real The province of Ciudad Real () is a province in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, Jaén, Province of Córdoba (Spain), Córdoba, Province of Bada ...

, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It was known as ''Oretum'' in ancient Iberian times. The present-day town is located in the valley of the Jabalón river, in an area with Mediterranean-type agricultural resources from which

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

, wine, cereals, almonds and various orchard products are obtained.

Main sights

Archaeological sites include the Virgen de Oreto y Zuqueca ( Oreto and Zuqueca) site, where Oretum, the ancient capital of Oretani was located. Also the Bronze Age site of La Encantada is within Granátula de Calatrava's municipal term. Other sights include the palace of the Torrubias, the House of the Inquisition, the parish church dedicated to

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Oreto and Zuqueca, which dates from the Middle Ages. The urban network shows the varied typology of

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

buildings. The landscape has been intensely altered by mankind, and therefore is full of manor houses, from small to large; bridges, water wheels, and the peasant stone refuges known as ''carapuchetes''.

Culture

Popular culture may be observed in a number of stone crosses, the so-called "armaos" ("armed ones") who make their appearance during Holy Week, as well as some 40 religious feasts, holidays and pageants that take place during the year. Tales and legends of yore, traditions and a rich gastronomy, as well as the work in mat-weed and lace also form part of the locality's lore.

History

Granatula de Calatrava became nationally known after

Baldomero Espartero Baldomero Fernández-Espartero y Álvarez de Toro (27 February 17938 January 1879) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He served as the Regent of the Realm, three times as Prime Minister and briefly as President of the Congress of Deputies. ...

, born in Granatula de Calatrava, became a national figure of great importance.

References

Municipalities in the Province of Ciudad Real {{CastileLaMancha-geo-stub