The first documentary references to Agoncillo date from the eleventh century, and the first ones to its castle date from the twelfth, although the current building was built later, at various times between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
The first documentary references to Agoncillo date from the eleventh century, and the first ones to its castle date from the twelfth, although the current building was built later, at various times between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It is located on completely flat land, in a large square in the historic center of the town, sharing the architectural limelight with the church of Santa María la Blanca, from the sixteenth century. The temple was declared a national monument in 1982, and the castle, a year later, in 1983.
Given its exposure, the castle originally featured a moat, which was covered over time and reappeared during restoration works along with remains of an old sixteenth-century gateway. It is one of the few Rioja moated castles, and some authors believe that its name, “stillwater castle” or “stagnant water castle”, can be derived from this defensive system.
One of the most important events in its long history was the execution in the fourteenth century of Juan Alfonso de Haro, Lord of the mighty medieval Cameros, by order of king Alfonso XI, who declared him a traitor. Among his subsequent owners appear the Counts of Siruela, in the late sixteenth century.
During the twentieth century the castle suffered a painful process of degradation and was surrounded by houses that partially hid it, until the regional and local authorities undertook an ambitious restoring process carried out by architect Jesús Marino Pascual, author of several famous wineries in the Rioja Wine Region.
At present the building, built entirely in ashlar masonry, has an excellent appearance and is used to host various municipal offices.
- Adulto: 2€;
- Niños: €1,5
- Niños muy pequeños: GRATUITO
info@asociacioncastillosrioja.com