Torralba de Ribota

The “white tower”

Perched on a hill above the Ribota River, the medieval village was apparently established near the site of Lardallén, where objects and coins from the Roman era have been found, so the two must have been linked in some way.

The town’s name, derived from Turris Alba, Torre Alba or Torre Blanca (White Tower), refers to the large white limestone tower that was part of the walled city, dating from the 14th or 15th century.

Dominating over the town is the imposing volume of the parish church devoted to Saint Felix, built between 1367 and 1433 by order of the bishops of Tarazona, Pedro Pérez Calvillo and Juan de Valtierra, whose heraldry is prominently displayed in the magnificent building interior.

A crucial moment for fortified churches

The building follows the typical pattern of Aragonese Mudejar churches, with a single nave and galleries open to the exterior, strongly military in nature. As with the church of La Virgen in Tobed, the interior is the epitome of a Mudejar religious space, emphasized by the plaster decoration on windows and oculi, painted decoration and painted brickwork covering the walls and vaults, as well as the magnificent alfarje (wood ceiling structure) that supports the choir. The interior also contains a wealth of treasures from diverse eras and in a number of styles, most notably the Gothic altarpieces located in the chancel, giving the building a stunning appearance.

The only decoration on the sober exterior is on the west façade and the two towers on either side of it; the decorative motifs, drawn from the art of Cordoba and the Aljafería in Zaragoza, are particularly striking.

A stroll around the town reveals interesting hillside architecture and traditional dwellings of timeless beauty set with the Armantes Mountains as the backdrop, where the ruins of the ancient chapel of Nuestra Señora de Cigüela, the new chapel and an old mill can be found.