Church of Saint Eulalia of Mérida in Peñalver
Peñalver (Guadalajara)GPS: 40.58100128173828, -2.8897199630737305
MAIN ATTRACTIONS
This town in the La Alcarria region takes refuge at the foot of a hill, above the Para stream. We can arrive easily from Guadalajara taking highway N-320, and, upon arriving to the heights of the hill, the first thing we see are the remains of the castle where the ancient knight commanders lived. Little remains of its city walls, if even just a glimpse of what were the entry gates on the North side. But what we can still fully enjoy is the visit to the parish church of the town, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and restored at the end of the 20th century.
WHAT WE’LL SEE
Made of ashlars and masonry, with a tower at the front, the church of Saint Eulalia of Mérida was built in the first third of the 16th century. It houses a large sampling of plateresque decorative elements and others alluding to the Apostle Saint James on its Southern door, which contrasts with the simple decoration on its other entrance on the Evangelical side. Inside we can see a well preserved altarpiece with panels that represent different cycles of the Passion and the Infancy of Christ; and a Romanesque baptismal font from the 13th or 14th century.
ACCESS
Open access, respecting hours of worship.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
In the Main Square you will find the most famous monument of the region, the Melero Alcarreño (Honey seller of Alcarria), created by the sculptor José Luis Parés, in homage to the most well-known product of the area: honey. The honey from Peñalver is the most renowned of the area for its quality. You can also visit the Museum of Honey; to do so you must call 949 28 43 33. Every year the town elects someone known for his/her valors or special promotion of the town and gives him/her “his (or her) weight in honey”. This award has been given to people such as Cela, Vargas Llosa and Vicente del Bosque.
