La Portellada

Church architecture and local traditions shape La Portellada, as do trails to waterfalls and places of special natural beauty. For planning your trip, you can focus on different aspects: the parish church and town hall tell the story of the town’s architecture and development, while access points and journey times help you plan excursions. Traditional events may also shape your visit.

Church and local history

The parish church of San Cosme and San Damián was built in the 17th century, when La Portellada was still a district of La Fresneda. It is built of rubble stone and ashlar. Its layout is defined by three naves, each with three bays, a transept and a dome over pendentives. A bay is a section of the nave; pendentives are the transitional elements that support a dome above a space. Paintings of Our Lady and the Apostles, dating from 1758, survive on the inner surface of the dome. The architecture and paintings thus offer two different points of reference for taking a closer look at the building.

Casa Consistorial de La Portellada can also be understood from several perspectives. It follows the building type of Aragonese town halls from the 16th and early 17th centuries, but was initially built as the house of the Brotherhood of San Cosme and San Damián. It did not become the town hall until 1784, after La Portellada gained independence from La Fresneda. Its typological classification and its later change of use are thus distinct parts of its history: one describes its architectural form, the other its transition to municipal use.

Trails and places of natural beauty

From La Portellada, a signposted turn leads to Salt de La Portellada along a forest track. From there, the walk to the waterfalls takes about 15 minutes. The round trip is approximately four kilometres and takes around an hour in total. As trail conditions can change, it is a good idea to check them before setting out.

The PR-TE 161 hiking trail starts at the edge of town, near a few farmhouses outside the town, opposite the road to Fórnoles. Olivera del Pla has a different access point: from La Portellada, follow the TE-22 towards La Fresneda; the access is about 800 metres from town. The olive tree’s hollow trunk forms a small cave with numerous grooves and depressions. Carefully constructed terraces with dry-stone walls can also be seen at the site.

About 500 metres from La Portellada, a PR trail sign points to a short detour to Cueva de San Antonio. The hermitage has been largely carved out of the natural rock. It lies at the foot of a slope densely covered with pine trees. Its round-arched entrance is made of hewn stone, with a coat of arms bearing three bars on the keystone.

Traditions and recurring events

A local Easter tradition is Rosca, a pastry with a hard-boiled egg, sardine or sausage. It is eaten on Easter Monday and on the Monday of the second week of Easter, 40 days later. The tradition links a particular pastry to two set dates in the annual calendar.

Locals traditionally gather at Piló de Sant Pere Màrtir de Verona on 29 April for the feast of Saint Peter, to bless the municipal area. The Piló stands on a hill along the route between Fuentespalda and La Portellada; from there, there are views of the banks of the Tastavins River. The destination thus links a religious custom to a location along this route; the Piló itself is not described as being within the town.

Ermita de San Miguel dates back to the early 18th century. The hermitage has two viewpoints and a recreation area for children. A pilgrimage takes place there every year on 28 September, after La Portellada’s Fiestas Mayores. After Mass, traditional “pa amb oli” is shared. If the pilgrimage is important to your travel plans, check the date for the year you are travelling.

Another possible reason to visit is La Portellada’s horticulture and vegetable-growing fair, which brings together gardening enthusiasts, farmers and nursery businesses. If you would like to attend the fair, check the dates and programme before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Pitarque, Valderrobres, Jabaloyas, Beceite, La Mata De Los Olmos, Rubiales, Miravete De La Sierra, Monreal Del Campo

For the wider travel overview: Teruel.