The town of Loja, in the province of Granda at dusk © Michelle Chaplow
LOJA
Loja sits in a narrow valley dominated by the barren limestone massif of the Sierra de Loja, divided in two by the Genil River, situated on the western edge of the fertile vega (plain) of Granada, with its undulating countryside of olive groves and cereal fields. It has about 21, 200 inhabitants.
HISTORY
The oldest traces of prehistoric man in Loja and its surrounding area date back to the Lower Paleolithic period, 150,000 years ago. Aside from the mythological explanations offered by Friar Juan Seco, who recounts how Tubal, grandson of the Biblical Noah, founded the city of Loja in 2163 BC, naming it Alfeia, archaeological evidence places the first occupation of the site around the eleventh century BC. The remains of these prehistoric inhabitants from the Bronze Age lie beneath the surface of the Alcazaba neighbourhood from their earliest presence until well into the seventh century BC, when the contributions of Phoenician trade and culture led to the first urban flourishing of that original settlement: the mythical Tricolia. More>
Trainline offers tickets to and from multiple destinations across Andalucia and Spain including the high-speed AVE train.
THINGS TO SEE
Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnación
The church is known as the main or mother church because all the main or mother churches of the Archdiocese of Granada were dedicated to Santa María de la Encarnación by the Catholic Monarchs as a symbol of the victory of the Christian faith over Islam. The first construction work dates back to 1491 on the site of the city’s former main mosque, initiated by Pedro Díaz de Toledo y Ovalle, Bishop of Málaga. Among the artistic treasures of this ancient collegiate church are the Renaissance altarpiece by Miguel Sánchez and Pedro Machuca (1535), a large silver monstrance by Francisco Téllez (1581), an eighteenth-century silver and gold pyx, as well as processional candlesticks and a silver processional cross. Within its walls is preserved a quadrangular slab from an early Christian reliquary made of Genoese marble with a Latin inscription. It was declared a National Historic Monument on August 3, 1979. Located in Plaza de la Encarnación.
Antigua Casa de Cabildos
A sixteenth-century Renaissance building that retains the original features of its construction. It served as the Town Hall for 437 years, until 1927, and now houses the Centro de Interpretación del Agua. This square was originally the main market of the Arrabal district and the horseshoe arch connecting the square to the Alcazaba district is particularly noteworthy. Located in Plaza de la Constitución.
Centro de Interpretación del Agua
The Water Interpretation Centre aims to help visitors understand the importance of water in Loja, a city known as “Loja, City of Water”. Through its exhibits, the centre highlights the importance of this element since prehistoric times, showcasing features such as the well-known fountain, Fuente de los 25 Caños, natural monuments like Los Infiernos de Loja, numerous springs, and natural sites like Riofrío, among others. The building resembles a large ice cube, spread over two floors. Upon entering the lobby, the first thing visitors encounter is the question, “Is it possible to live without water?”, which introduces the centre’s central concept. The ground floor consists of the reception area, immersion room, courtyard and history room. On the first-floor visitors will find the environment room, laboratory and library and audiovisual room. Located on Calle Ribera del Genil.
Opening Times:
Monday-Wednesday, Sunday and Holidays, 10:00-14:00hrs.
Thursday-Saturday, 10:00-14:00hr and 16:00-18:00hrs.
Tel: 958 321 520.
Iglesia de Jesús Nazareno
A small church with a Latin cross floor plan, built in the eighteenth century at the expense of the Brotherhood of Jesús Nazareno. Notable murals are preserved, along with a Baroque altarpiece featuring Solomonic columns and a niche crowned by a painting of the crucified Christ, a work by Alonso Cano. Located on Avenida Jesús.
Convento y Capilla de Santa Clara
Founded in the sixteenth century, the convent boasts magnificent eighteenth-century frescoes and a valuable nineteenth-century Baroque altarpiece. Declared a Site of Cultural Interest, it is built in the Isabelline Gothic style. Located on Carretera Las Monjas.
Fuente de los 25 Caños
The origins of the fountain date back to Muslim times, when there were already tales of secret passageways connecting the fortress to a spring that supplied water to the walled city. However, it was not until the sixteenth century that the fountain was fully formed with all its spouts, and it has been preserved to this day thanks to a twentieth-century restoration. This fountain is the most famous of the more than 42 existing in the city centre, and it is the subject of a legend that tells of a beautiful love story unfolding between a young Moorish woman and her Christian lover, and that “Whoever drinks from each spout will find their love that year”. Located in Plaza Alfaguara.
Iglesia de Santa Catalina
The church was built in a new neighbourhood outside the city walls during the sixteenth century. In the Gothic-Mudéjar style, its construction was commissioned by the Catholic Monarchs, who wished to build a temple dedicated to the Apostle Jaime. This church, with its white tower, boasted a magnificent Baroque altarpiece that was lost during the Spanish Civil War. Located on Calle Jorge Rodríguez.
Jardines de Narváez
Declared a Site of Cultural Interest, the garden is located on the General Narváez’s summer estate, and it combines French geometric rationalist taste with Anglo-Saxon nineteenth-century romanticism. Located on Calle Mesón del Arroyo.
Iglesia de San Gabriel
Declared a Site of Cultural Interest, the church is work by Juan de Maeda, a disciple of Diego de Siloé, who designed it following the new trends arriving from Italy: a Renaissance style that was still developing in Spain. It is a pure example of the Granadan Renaissance of the sixteenth century. The side façade and the interior vault, where the Apostles are depicted surrounding the Creator, are particularly noteworthy. Located on Calle Juan de la Rosa.
La Alcazaba
The citadel was built on a rocky rise and is visible from virtually every point in the city. This walled enclosure of Loja, within which lies the Caserón de los Alcaides Cristianos, is a striking feature. An integral part of the border defence system, it has been used throughout history as a residence, warehouse, prison, and barracks. Both the cistern and the walls were declared Historical-Artistic Monuments in June 1931. Up to the beginning of the twenty-first century, several interesting remains of the eleventh-century cistern, the keep, and a section of the walls were preserved. Also remaining, along the inner line of the wall, are thirteen square towers, four semicircular towers, and one octagonal tower known as the Octagonal Tower. The Caserón de los Alcaides Cristianos, for its part, was commissioned at the beginning of the seventeenth century by Don Pedro de Tapia as the seat of political and administrative power. It is a large, two-story building with mixed masonry and a simple structure. It is attached on its eastern side to the Alcazaba Tower, or Clock Tower, dating from the ninth century, probably the only remaining vestige of what must have been the residential building of the Lawsa medina. Currently, both buildings have been restored and form the Municipal Historical Museum, which contains a large number of valuable works and archaeological remains from the Iron and Bronze Ages to more recent, but no less valuable, artifacts. Located on Calle Boabdil.
Opening Times:
Tuesday-Friday, 10:00-14:00hrs and 16:00-18:00hrs.
Saturdays, 12:00-13:30hrs and 16:00-18:00hrs.
Sundays and Holidays, 10:00-13:30hrs.
Tel: 958 321 520.
Pósito
The Granary of Loja was located in the square that later became known as Plaza de Abajo or Plaza de Joaquín Costa. It was built at the end of the sixteenth century as a public granary. It is said that several residents petitioned the Town Hall for its construction in 1535. Juan de Maeda designed the granary and its specifications, although two expansions were later carried out, commemorated by medallions on its façade indicating the years of their completion (1650 and 1780) amidst the royal heraldry of Felipe II.
Palacio de Narváez
The Narváez Palace is a nineteenth-century mansion that currently houses the Town Hall. It was commissioned by General Narváez from a French architect as his personal residence. Inside, it retains a central arcaded courtyard, in the centre of which once stood a Carrara marble fountain. Medallions depicting illustrious figures from Spanish history adorn the columns. Among the objects preserved in this building are the treasure chest of the Mayor’s Office, the furniture of the Mayor’s Office and plenary hall, the city banner, an oil painting of saints, and other portraits of Narváez, Alfonso XII, and Alfonso XIII, as well as an eighteenth-century watercolor of the defensive system. It was restored in 1993. Located on Calle Duque de Valencia.
THINGS TO SEE OUTSIDE THE TOWN
Fuente Santa
The waters of this sixteenth-century Mannerist-style fountain were among the first bottled in Spain. They were shipped in sealed, lacquered jugs. Their fame led to the construction of two baths, one for women and one for men, due to the large number of people who came to experience their properties. Located west of the town, off Arco de Plines.
NATURAL AREAS
Infiernos de Loja
A picturesque enclave of waterfalls and travertine formations, declared a Natural Monument under the geological category. Water is the protagonist, patiently shaping this landscape in Loja and transforming it into a paradise of great natural value. This stretch of the Genil River is home to a rich riparian flora and fauna, along with significant geological features, as well as other sites of cultural interest such as the prehistoric sites of La Esperanza and El Manzanil. The Genil River, through the transport and deposition of materials, has created two levels of terraces. Its waters flow between these levels in spectacular waterfalls, eroding the rock until they are deeply embedded within it. These enclosures produce, in some places, dramatic rapids and whirlpools that create striking waterfalls such as the one known as Cola del Caballo (Horsetail), which plunges over 8m.
A possible future protected natural park, the limestone Sierra de Loja, provides a dramatic backdrop to the town, its highest point the Cerro de Santa Lucía at 1,671m. With over 50 caves close to town, caving is popular activity, along with hang-gliding, fishing, hiking and cycling.
Nacimiento del Frontil
The site is located at the foot of Mount Hacho, and here you can see the water springing directly from the ground, forming a small lake where ducks and geese swim. Nearby is one of Loja’s fish farms, which collects water directly from the spring to raise trout.
COUNTRYSIDE WALKS
Loja has more than 450km² of area to explore with hiking routes such as Barranco del Cañalizo, Sendero de los Pinos, Sendero del Monte Hacho, Sendero Urbano and Sendero Circular Sierra de las Cabras.
BUS SERVICE
There are bus services from Loja to Granada City, Algarinejo, Málaga and Algeciras. More>
TRAIN SERVICE
There are train services from Loja to Antequera Santa Ana, Córdoba and Madrid. More>
GASTRONOMY
Loja boasts top-quality products, including the lamb from the Sierra de Loja (with its own protected designation of origin), cured meats, green asparagus, ham, olive oil, and its delicious water that flows from the numerous springs and fountains in the area. Several awards attest to its prestige, including the 2005 World’s Best Caviar Award, given to Caviar de Riofrío, and the 2003 Atracón Pizzeria Award for World’s Best Pizza.
Try local dishes such as trucha (trout), moraga (escabeche of sardines), pollo en salsa de almendras (chicken in almond sauce), ajoblanco (almond and garlic soup), remojón de Naranja (orange salad) and sobrehusa (broad bean stew). For something sweet try the famous roscos de Loja (aniseed biscuits), huesos de santo (marzipan), buñuelos de viento (profiterols) and pestiños (honey pastries).
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Loja are Día de San Marcos, La Candelaria, Romería de la Amistad, Feria Chica and Feria Grande. More>
WEATHER FOARECAST
The weather forecast for the next few days for Loja. More>
TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office of Loja is located on Calle Comedias. More>
NEARBY PLACES
The neighbouring villages to Loja are Riofrío and Huétor-Tájar.