History of EL ESPARRAGAL

The history of El Esparragal can be traced back to the Tartessian period, spanning through the Bronze Age, whose remains are conserved in the ruins of El Castrejón. It became very important during the Roman Age by forming part of Italica, crossed from north to south by the road that joined this city and Emerita Augusta, of which there are still remains including walls and Roman baths which, along with the fountain that continues to work to this day, are found in El Castrejón.

In the 15th century, under the reign of John II after defeating the Muslims, the king conceded jurisdiction to Fernando Medina, whose heirs sold it to the Order of St. Jerome in the 17th century. This order set up a convent which, along with a chapel presided over by the Virgen de Belén built in 1615 in late Renaissance style, is the start of the present-day buildings, where residents farmed the land, baked bread in the mills and tended livestock in the pastures.

The main building dates back to the 16th century. El Esparragal originated as a convent for the Order of St. Jerome from 1615 to 1836. After the confiscation of Mendizábal, it went to auction and was sold to different owners until the Vázquez family took possession in 1851 and built a property connected to the monastery. In 1967, the Oriol family acquired the property, maintaining ownership to the present. The chapel and convent patios have been preserved to this day.