Spain · Restored
Calatrava la Nueva
Calatrava la Nueva is a medieval hilltop fortress and convent founded by the Order of Calatrava near Aldea del Rey in Ciudad Real, Spain. Built after the Order moved here in the early 13th century, the complex combines fortified curtain walls and towers with conventual and church buildings and served as the Order's principal seat for centuries.
First raised
1300
Its prime
1300
Today
Restored
As it stood in 1300
What Calatrava la Nueva looked like in its prime.
Perched on the rocky summit of Alacranejo, the castle-convent reads as a compact fortified compound of pale masonry: continuous curtain walls punctuated by multiple projecting towers and a guarded main gate, with the compact mass of the convent and church rising above inner courtyards. Low pitched tiled roofs cover the convent ranges; battlements and a prominent keep/strong tower dominate the skyline. At its prime the stone surfaces are clean ashlar and the complex sits visibly above the surrounding plain.
Its story
The story of Calatrava la Nueva.
Calatrava la Nueva is a medieval castle and convent on the peak of Alacranejo, near Aldea del Rey in the province of Ciudad Real. Its name records the Order of Calatrava, originally seated at Calatrava la Vieja, sixty kilometres to the north: when the Order moved here in 1217, the original site became known as "Old Calatrava" and the new one as "New Calatrava".
Built after the Order's move in the early 13th century, the complex combines fortified curtain walls and towers with conventual and church buildings, and served for centuries as the Order's principal seat.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1300.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Calatrava la Nueva — including 3 interiors: convent cloister, conventual church exterior and interior, tomb of alfonso of molina (in the church). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Create History
Recreate Calatrava la Nueva with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1300 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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