No. 79083
Castle of Marutegi
Spain
CastleRestored9th century
No. 58062
Castle · Spain
Castillo de Corres
CastleRestoredInstitutional
No. 58062 · 42.690 N, 2.423 W
Quick summary
Castillo de Corres is a castle in Spain, listed as reference No. 58062.
Castillo de Corres is a castle in Spain with origins associated with the 12th century.
See all castles in SpainCastillo de Corres is in Maeztu / Maestu, Spain, and it was built by Navarrese authorities in the medieval period.
The fortress dates to between the eleventh and twelfth centuries and was in use by 1199, when it figured in the siege of Vitoria during Alfonso VIII of Castile’s campaign into western Navarre. During that invasion the castle came under Castilian control. Alfonso VIII mentioned the site in his testament of 1204.
In 1312 King Fernando IV of Castile issued a royal charter that refers to the castle in the context of a jurisdictional dispute over the dehesa lying between Corres and San Román de Campezo. Control of the stronghold shifted again during later conflicts; it reverted to Navarrese hands temporarily in 1368 amid the first Castilian civil war, and it was briefly held by Navarrese forces around 1450 during the civil war in Navarre.
Over the centuries the place name has appeared in several forms. It is recorded as Castillo de Portiella de Corres and as Castillo de Corres, and it has long been popularly called “castillo de los Moros” or simply “El Castillo”; in Basque the site is known as “Korresko gaztelua”. On 8 March 2016 the Basque Government declared the castle a Bien Cultural, designating it as a conjunto monumental.
Condition
The castle occupies a rocky promontory above a ravine near the summit of Mount Soila, about 1.5 kilometres from the village of Corres and at roughly 867 metres elevation inside the Izki Natural Park. Its position on the rock controlled the route that links Antoñana and Campezo along the historic Navarre–Castile frontier. Archaeological traces show a compound laid out on the slope in several terraces that make use of the natural topography.
The site preserves a sequence of three defended terraces that were established during the medieval construction phase in the eleventh to twelfth centuries. The lowest platform is broad and has been interpreted as an area for habitation; it was protected by a number of circular defensive towers placed along its perimeter. A deep incision cut into the rock separates this lower terrace from the middle level, and that rock cut functioned as a natural barrier between them.
The middle terrace was enclosed with substantial walls, fragments of which still survive, and it contains a cistern that served as the site’s water storage. At the summit the plan rises to the highest level, where the keep once stood. Only the foundations of that tower at the very top remain and they survive in a heavily reduced state. These elements together record a fortress adapted to the cliff and to control of the nearby mountain pass.
Location
Nearby castles
No. 90137
Aixita Castle
Spain
CastleIntact12th century
No. 64761
Castle of Enciso
Spain
CastleRuin12th century
No. 35066
Castillo de Autol
Spain
CastleRuin11th century
Comments
Sign in to join the discussion
Comments for Castillo de Corres will require a verified account before posting.
We'll send a verification link before your first comment is published.