Puerta de la Virgen

The southern gate

This is the southern gate in the wall of Cañete, one of the three main gates alongside Las Eras and San Bartolomé. It led to the river plains to the west, beyond the castle hill, and to upland paths and livestock tracks towards the upper Guadazaón. All streets in the southern half of the village descend towards it.

It is a 10th-century Islamic work, like the town wall, altered after the Castilian conquest, perhaps in the 12th or early 13th century. Unlike the other two, it has neither a bent passage nor towers: it opens directly through the wall, defended by a projection of the wall on one side and a projecting wall on the other. It may originally have been a postern, a small gate defended by concealment, like Puerta del Rey. The bell gable of the first Virgen de la Zarza hermitage was built above the right-hand wall.

What can be seen

Its only ornament is a round moulding on the arch, which once led it to be considered Romanesque. There is an almost erased inscription on the right jamb. It is in poor condition: pieces have been removed, some through looting and others to allow vehicles through.

Plan your visit

Combine with

Beside it, the Virgen de la Zarza hermitage; the other gates are Las Eras and San Bartolomé.