Church of San Miguel Arcángel, Villarreal de Huerva

The only remaining trace of the old church is the Mudejar tower. There is virtually no information about the earlier temple from the 14th century, which was replaced by a new Baroque construction in the 17th century. The current appearance of the building is quite different from the original construction given that, when the temple was rebuilt in the 17th century, the tower height was increased by adding another section. In addition, what was likely the altar table in the original church was recently discovered in the vicinity of the building and can now be seen in the entrance atrium.

Therefore, this is an example of the wealth of Mudejar heritage that Aragon has to offer, as proven by the fact that this tower has been protected since 2002 in accordance with the Order dated July 12, under which the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Government of Aragon declared the bell tower of the church of San Miguel Arcángel in Villarreal de Huerva a Listed Asset of Aragonese Cultural Heritage. Among the types of towers to be found in Mudejar architecture, the tower in Villarreal belongs to those that display Islamic origin decoration but do not have an Islamic structure, i.e. the structure of a minaret.

These towers are arranged in the manner of noble towers in castles, where the interiors house rooms with brick vaults, which prevent their destruction and also make it more difficult to gain access than in minaret-style towers, in which the floor structures were made of wood. These characteristics are closely linked to the defensive nature of these towers, which is evident in the case of Villarreal because, as mentioned before, the church was part of a walled compound with a military role. For a long time, the tower of Villarreal received little attention in the study of the history of Mudejar art. Its minimal decoration and austerity, as well as the volume added during the church’s reconstruction in the 17th century, have contributed to this neglect. Moreover, the tower was also eclipsed by the voluminous size of the new Baroque church.

The tower is built entirely of brick and is located at the west end of the church, to the south – or Epistle – side. It has a square floor plan and is divided into rooms on several levels, except in the first section, which is solid. Above this first level, there is a room that can be accessed from the church choir at a height of some six meters, covered by a ribbed vault. This space has smooth exterior façades, altered only by the presence of three narrow arrow slits.

The next room is covered by a domical vault and can be entered by means of a steep, narrow L-shaped stairway within the walls with high, uncomfortable steps. It is embedded in the east wall forming a small stairwell covered with small brick vaults consisting of narrowing courses of bricks. This second room has two windows separated by more than one meter on each side, except for the north side, where access to the stairway is located, which only has one window. This must have been the original belfry, which explains the presence of the openings and the highly decorated exterior.