Clock Tower

It belonged to the church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, the oldest in Chinchón: the town council has records of it as early as the fourteenth century. The church burned during the War of Independence and only the tower was left standing, hence the saying that Chinchón has "a tower without a church and a church without a tower". The other half of the saying is the church of the Asunción, which was left without its own. It is two minutes from the Plaza Mayor, high up in the town, and can be seen from almost any street in the old town.

A tower that survived the 1808 siege

The town council's history website tells how on 27 December 1808 four French soldiers died at the hands of Chinchón residents. Two days later French troops stormed the town and, during three days of siege, looted and burned several buildings: among them the church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, with its archives and documents, the church of the San Agustín convent, today the hermitage of the Rosario, and the town hall. Eighty-six residents died. The old parish church was not rebuilt, but the tower remained standing.

Since then it has had several restorations. In the first, in the eighteenth century, the clock that gives it its name was added; the most important came in the nineteenth century. Behind that reconstruction was the Sociedad de Cosecheros, founded in 1845 by residents who produced wine, vinegar and spirits, the same one that built the Teatro Lope de Vega and adapted the Plaza Mayor as a bullring.

What you see

What you visit is the tower from outside and its surroundings. The route of traditions proposed by the town council climbs here after the square and recommends it for catching your breath while looking at the town: it is one of the best-known views of Chinchón, with the rooftops of the old town descending towards the square. There are no published hours for going up inside, so count only on the walk and the view.

Very close is the Teatro Lope de Vega, built in 1891 on the ruins of the counts' palace; at the exit there is a bust of the 4th Countess of Chinchón, vicereine of Peru, who is credited with introducing quinine to Europe. The cinchona tree is named in her honour.

How to get there and what to combine

From the Plaza Mayor you climb on foot up the steps and alleys that lead towards the church; the slope is short but noticeable. It is a free, unrestricted walk, suitable for dogs on a lead. If you want to understand what you are seeing, the Sunday guided tour takes in the tower, church, theatre and square in an hour and a half. For another view of the town from outside, continue to the Counts' Castle, on the other side of the old town.