Castle of Villapadierna (León)

South view of the castle

The castle of Villapadierna dates back to the mid-15th century, approximately 1449, since in a documentsigned by King John II of Castile, the castle was occupied by a warden and a garrison. Built by order of Fadrique Enríquez, Admiral of Castile, it passed to the House of Alba through the marriage of Doña María Enríquez, daughter of the admiral, with the first Duke of Alba. At the end of the 18th century it belonged to the Marchioness of Villafranca. It is small, Gothic in style and made up of a square tower surrounded by a double enclosure. Little of the outer barrier remains, half-ruined and its sections are very worn. The castle was surrounded by a water moat that took water from the nearby Esla River through a tunnel two kilometers long.

Main facade on the south wall of the castle

Opening in the south wall, possibly the access to the indoor of the castle

Hallway or guardhouse behind the entrance gate to the castle separated from
the rest of the castle by a wall

Indoor of the wall that separated the hallway or guardhouse 

from the parade groung of castle

Indoor of the west wall of the castle

Scaffolding holes indoor the west wall

South-west view of the homage tower

Pointed arch window on the south side of the homage tower

Possible entrance at the base of the homage tower to the two-kilometer tunnel,
hich connected the outer water ditch with the nearby Esla River

North-west corner opening of the castle

Double embrasure at ground level inside the north wall

Indoor of the north wall of the castle

North esplanade of the parade ground

North-east view of the homage tower

Reconstruction of the entrance to the homage tower above ground level

Entrance gate to the homage tower

Indoor of the homage tower under restoration

North-east corner of the castle

Hole in the base of the wall that could serve as an embrasure or water drain

East esplanade of the parade ground

Indoor of the east wall of the castle

Wall that divided the parade ground forcing the attackers to go in one 

direction predetermined by the defenders

Castle exit access hole

Top view of south-west angle of the homage tower

Stilted window on the south side of the homage tower

North wall

Eastern canvas of the north wall

Loophole in the north wall of the castle

Moat next to the north wall of the castle

North-west view of the castle

West wall

Eastern canvas of the west wall

Moat next to the west wall of the castle

South-west view of the castle

Cubillas de Rueda Town Hall

Villapadierna is a town belonging to the municipality of Cubillas de Rueda, in the province of León in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León. It is located in the north of the province and is 51 km from the capital of León and 5 km from its town hall. This region south of the Cantabrian mountain range is believed to have belonged to the Vadinienses tribe, who fought against Roman troops in the Cantabrian Wars, until they eventually accepted their rule and culture. The terms paternus and maternus were used in the Middle Ages as personal names, "Padierna" derived from paterna, so Villapadierna means paternal town or town of Paterno.

Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Cubillas de Rueda

Church of St. Cyprian and St. Cornelius

Bell tower of the Church of St. Cyprian and St. Cornelius

Church of Christ in Quintanilla de Rueda

Church of the Assumption in Palacios de Rueda

Location of the castle of Villapadierna