Ares del Maestre

The town of Ares del Maestre sits on the top of a rocky hill, on a privileged location that overlooks the beautiful and rugged landscape of the region of El Maestrazgo.

On the mound that dominates the town, we have the ruins of an ancient castle, where Iberian remains were found, as well as several fronts from the Arab wall that turned Ares del Maestre into a parade ground during the Middle Ages. The small urban centre stretches at the foothill of the castle, from which the most remarkable feature is the 18th-century parish church, with its Baroque façade. The belltower, attached to the main body, has the peculiarity of being shorter than the rest of the building. The main square, or Plaza Mayor is the nerve centre of the village, and in it we can discover other important buildings, such as Los Porches, an ancient exchange with Gothic-Mudejar arches, and a 13th-century prison. The City Hall, erected on top of the ancient walls, is a Gothic building whose most remarkable feature is the Chapter House, from the 10th century. Another interesting landmarks in this village is at the Barranc dels Molins, where we find five water mills (17th-18th centuries), true engineering masterworks. We can also visit the Remigia cave, which holds valuable examples of Levante-style cave art.