The Castle

Coracera Fundation

The Castillo de la Coracera (La Coracera Castle) has undergone a number of transformations down through the centuries.

In 1998 a series of archaeological digs were started in order to discover the original structure of the building. The research carried out shows that, despite the long list of works that have been carried out over the years, the fortress retains a good part of its original layout and elevations.

After having remained in a state of total abandonment for two centuries, the Castillo de la Coracera was bought and restored by the Barón de Sacro Lirio, a strange character who died within the confines of the fortress under mysterious circumstances.

When the Barón de Sacro Lirio acquired the Castle halfway through the 20th century, it had lain empty for years and had therefore not surprisingly suffered considerable damage from natural elements, which had mainly affected the upper sections of the building. This could be the reason why the perimeter walls and the cylindrical towers had lost approximately two metres of their original height: the Barón would have preferred to even them out and rebuild the parapet walk and construct a new parapet.

However, according to the study carried out, it can be confirmed that the main changes made to the exterior of the castle are those affecting the upper parts of the wall and of the towers and some sections of the barbican. With respect to the interior, restoration work was carried out on the internal layout of the keep and on the first floor, which can best be described as a type of mezzanine.

The most recent owners were two private individuals, Mr Emilio Fernando Díez and Mr José Fernando Cornejo Pablos. The former sold his half of the property to the Municipal Council of San Martín de Valdeiglesias in 2003, with both parties signing an agreement which saw the Council pay for this fifty percent with land, specifically speaking with nineteen municipally owned plots. The Council also offered to buy the other half from the second owner, but he preferred to exchange his fifty percent without money changing hands. The upshot of all this was the creation of the Fundación Castillo de la Coracera (The La Coracera Castle Foundation), with the intention being that it should serve, in accordance with that stated in its Statutes, to carry out restoration and refurbishment works on the Castle in order to enable it to be opened to the public in the future and to “promote the cultural, artistic, formative, environmental, economic and tourist development of the town of San Martín de Valdeiglesias and its surroundings”.

On March 29, 2003, the document stating the constitution of the Foundation, whose Co-Chairmen are Mr José Fernando Cornejo Pablos and the Mayor of San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Mr José Luís García Sánchez, was signed.

The Castillo de la Corracera is currently being restored to convert it not only into an oenological study centre, but also the future Madrid Wine Museum.

Coracera Fundation Statutes.

Ctra. De Avila s/n San Martín de Valdeiglesias 28680 Madrid
Tfno: +34 91.867.60.07 Fax: +34 91.861.02.72 Email: bodega@donalvarodeluna.com