Castillo de Montemolín

Spain, Spain

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Castillo de Montemolín is a 13th-century fortress of Almohad Muslim origin in Montemolín, Badajoz province, Extremadura, Spain, built as part of a defensive line against Christian advances and reconquered in 1248 by Fernando III, who donated it to the Order of Santiago.

The large irregular citadel adapts to its hilltop terrain with numerous small square towers along thick mampostería walls, a semicircular rear tower, a prominent Tower of Homage housing the Order's headquarters, a recodo gateway, cisterns, and dungeons, originally constructed in adobe and brick before Christian stone reconstruction. 

Later enajenated to Genoese bankers in 1608 and passed through royal hands, the ruined site—once featuring a destroyed Santo Domingo church—underwent consolidation to preserve its strategic legacy near Extremadura-Andalusia borders.