Fitero stands on the banks of the river Alhama on the border with La Rioja not far from Tudela- The town combines mediaeval and modern features in its centre.
Let yourself be captivated by the mediaeval beauty of El Cortijo, a small neighbourhood with narrow streets in a T-shape around the
Monastery of Santa María,
the first Cistercian monastery in mainland Spain.
You will discover more modern architecture in Fitero's wider and straighter streets in the newer part. There are few noble houses because the Monastery prohibited the construction of large buildings and the use of coats of arms on facades.
Leaving Fitero towards the
spa where the poet Bécquer stayed you will find a 16th-century roadside cross, where the new abbot was received an escorted in procession to the monastery. That moment has been recorded for ever, as it was carved in stone in a the cloister of the church.
The old spa of Fitero was founded in 1600 by the viceroy and bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza; one of the spa's hotels is named after him. According to the tradition, a maid was about to follow the orders of Juan's mother and throw him into the river Alhama because he was illegitimate but she was surprised by the local mayor, who undertook to take charge of the young boy.
There are several walks starting from Fitero, such as the one to the cave where -as Bécquer wrote- every night the disconsolate soul of an Arab princess appears every night looking for water for her Christian lover who lies wounded inside the cave.
The festivities of Fitero start on the Sunday after 18th September, in honour of the Virgin 'de la Barda'.
Did you know that...?
En 2017 finalizaron las obras de restauración del claustro del Monasterio de Fitero y ahora son visitables el claustro, la cocina medieval, el refectorio y la joya del monasterio, la sala capitular.
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