Santiponce Itálica

Heritage

An immense legacy waiting to be discovered

Lora del Río Castle or Setefilla Castle

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Located next to the Churre River, near its confluence with the River Guadalquivir, this was the original site of Lora, according to the local archaeologist José Remesal.

The castle is technically a “tell”, that is, an artificial mound of material that has accumulated throughout time. The tell at Lora is one of the most important in the province as archaeological excavations have shown. It was used as an 8th century fortress and rebuilt after the 13th century Christian conquest. The oldest remains correspond to the Bronze Age and date back to approximately 1500 to 1000 years BC.

The tell was abandoned with the arrival of the Romans, and the population moved to what is today Lora’s old town. The castle was then used as a necropolis. Most remains date back to the Arab period, when the castle was called Lawra, which means “the bank”. The name alludes to the location of the castle between the River Churre and its confluence with the River Guadalquivir.

Setefilla Castle and the Sanctuary of Setefilla together comprise one of the first civilisations known to date. Turditans, Visigoths and Romans lived Tell of Setefilla during different periods. It can be accessed from the southwest, following a path that still preserves traces of a pavement and a perimeter wall on the eastern side. The fortress consists of two walled compounds. The gateway is located in a rectangular tower to the south. The best-preserved area is the keep, the central tower of the fortress.

The castle is not open to the public.

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