Riópar Viejo, its Gothic church and the castle

Riópar Viejo ("Old Riópar") is the original village, at the top of a hill about 3 km from the present one. Its stone houses, many restored as rural accommodation, keep the traditional style, with cobbled or dirt streets and little light at night so as not to spoil the atmosphere. At the top is the church of the Espíritu Santo, from the 15th century, Gothic, with a single nave with diaphragm arches and a timber roof with Mudéjar paintings: the oldest in the Sierra del Segura.

A little history

According to the Town Hall, the settlement of Riópar Viejo was born in the Bronze Age itself, from a Neolithic settlement at the foot of the hill, and was inhabited without interruption by Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and Castilians. In 1213, the year after the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, the troops of Alfonso VIII took its castle. In time, life moved down to the valley, where in the 18th century the brass factories were born around which present-day Riópar grew. The last resident of the old village died in 1995; since 1999 it has had some residents again.

What to see

The church of the Espíritu Santo is the main thing. Inside it has five bays separated by arches and a flat chevet, a wooden choir supported by a central column and, behind the high altar, some old frescoes discovered recently that are being studied and restored. The tower keeps the baptism chapel at its base. The north door, with a pointed arch between two buttresses, opens onto the Plaza de la Iglesia, where La Pita is danced at the festivities, on the third Sunday of September.

At the very top are the ruins of the medieval castle of Islamic origin, which shares the space with the old cemetery: a few tombs among the remains of the wall and the towers. The views reach as far as the Source of the river Mundo. Right there is the Starlight viewpoint, with a panel and a planisphere to recognise the constellations at night.

In the village there is also the Esparto Grass Museum, with esparto pieces and other materials, tools of rural life in the past and demonstrations of manual work. It is open Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 11:00 to 14:00; groups of 20 or more can request a guided visit by email to the tourist office.

On your own or with a guide

The self-guided walk is free and takes an hour: climb the streets on foot up to the castle. If you want someone to tell you about it, Mundo Aventura Riópar runs a two-hour guided visit in the morning, with history and legends of the village and a climb to the castle along a path of moderate gradient; at weekends you can also see the inside of the church. It costs €20 per person and children under 10 do not pay, one per adult, with a minimum group of three.

At night, the sky is of Starlight quality: if you would like to see it with a telescope, see the stargazing. And to understand the lower Riópar, the factory one, continue with the historic site of the Royal Factories.