PADULES
by Saskia Mier
Although small, Padules offers many highlights including an exciting natural environment to explore and its whimsical church, which features armchairs made from the trunks of chestnut trees. Visitors to Padules shouldn’t leave without trying the rosé wine made from a traditional recipe. It has about 410 inhabitants.
HISTORY
The name Padules means “small lagoons”, since there were water springs near the original population. Its origin is Hispano-Roman, although some argue that it is of Arab origin, and the great archaeological wealth of the area also points to a number of other early settlements.
During the Nasrid period, it belonged to the Taha de Lúchar. The Christian conquest at the end of the fifteenth century and the Moorish uprising of 1568, which resulted in the expulsion of the Moors from the Kingdom of Granada, would mark its history to this day. In 1569, Don Juan de Austria settled here in order to end the Moorish uprising. After the expulsion of the Moors in 1570, the repopulation of the area was carried out with Christians, mostly from Eastern Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha and Valencia.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the town’s economy was oriented, as in other areas of the province, towards the production of Ohanes grapes for export. Vines were then concentrated in small farms for wine production.
THINGS TO SEE
Iglesia Santa María la Mayor
The original church was burned in 1568, but just 11 years later its reconstruction began by order of the Archbishop of Granada. The interior of the church features its original decoration with armchairs made from chestnut trunks and the baptismal font made from a mill piece. The entire ceiling is made of wood and simulates the base of Noah’s ark. Before its function as a church, it was a Mudejar-style fortress. Located on Calle el Encanto.
GASTRONOMY
The traditional gastronomy of Padules is distinguished by its artisan stews and its self-produced wines. Try dishes such as potaje de hinojos (fennel soup), potaje de trigo pelado (wheat stew), potaje de acelgas (chard stew), fritada de conejo (fried rabbit) and revuelto de collejas (omelette). Sweet treats include soplillos (meringues) and pan de mosto (grape bread).
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Padules are San Antón and Fiestas de Santa María la Mayor. More>
TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office of Padules is located in the town hall. More>
NEARBY PLACES
The neighbouring villages to Padules are Almócita and Canjáyar.
