The Castle

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CASTLE

The Castillo de la Coracera (Coracera Castle) is built on a low hill that dominates the historic old quarter of the town of San Martín de Valdeiglesias and is a classic example of the fortified feudal dwellings that dominated the landscape of Castile in the 15th century. It consists of a main quadrangular enclosure three corners of which are occupied by round towers. Meanwhile, in the fourth corner stands a keep, the base of which measures approximately 15 x 12 metres and whose height is almost 20 metres.

The construction of this tower is both rare and odd, not only because of its proportions, but also due to the elements that make it up: its body is too low and stocky in comparison with the slim lines and elegance of its three companions.

The keep is located in such a way that its southern and western sides meet the walls while its protruding triangular section sticks out towards the eastern wall of the fortress. These three external edges are reinforced using the same number of cylindrical buttresses which look like small solid towers in their own right which simultaneously perform a structural and aesthetic function.

The four towers are joined by four sections of wall that are almost two metres thick and whose height is slightly less than that of the three cylindrical towers. The enclosure that they form provides the space for a wide ward in which it is possible that the auxiliary outbuildings of the castle stood surrounded by a 4-metre high perimeter barbican which followed the layout of the central edifice.

On the eastern side, beneath the keep, stands the only gateway providing access to the enclosure. This consists of a round arch made of large granite wedge stones.

The Castillo de la Coracera has undergone several transformations down through the centuries.

Ctra. De Avila s/n San Martín de Valdeiglesias 28680 Madrid
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