Olivenza

And it is this special identity that makes the town Portugal’s best ambassador in the Spanish region of Extremadura, as attested by its Manueline art, gilded woodcarvings, narrative tiles, folklore, cuisine and Easter Week traditions.

Pestañas

Information

Olivenza stands 24 km southwest of Badajoz, on the Guadiana River.

The town has Templar origins and between 1278 and 1297 belonged to Badajoz. In 1297, it was given to Portugal under the treaty of Alcañices, where it remained until 1801. It then returned to Spanish hands under the treaty of Badajoz, which ended the War of the Oranges — a precursor to the Napoleonic occupation of the Iberian peninsula.

The town’s heritage is mainly medieval and renaissance. Important monuments include the churches of Santa Maria Magdalena and Santa Maria del Castillo, the chapel at the Casa de Misericordia, the walled town and the Manueline doorway to the town hall. Olivenza is known for its Carnivals, Holy Week and other fiestas such as Oliventia, Las Mayas and las Muñecas de San Juan.

What to see

Santa María Magdalena (St Mary Magdalene) Church

This beautiful Manueline style church was built during the first half of the 16th century with important additions in the 18th century.

Santa María del Castillo (St Mary of the Castle) Church

The building you see today was built between 1584 and 1627 in a late renaissance style. The most outstanding feature is the magnificent altarpiece on the church’s Gospel side: the largest extant altarpiece in the world depicting the Tree of Jesse.

Castle and Torre del Homenaje (Homage Tower)

In 1335, D. Afonso IV of Portugal begun the construction of the castle. Surrounding the inner ward, a precinct with four towers, the highest of which, la Torre del Homenaje, was reinforced in 1488 by D. João II and became the highest tower in Portugal.

Citadel and Medieval Walls

In 1306, D. Dinis of Portugal had the first walls in Olivenza built. Three metres wide and twelve metres high, the walls, a moat and 15 towers defended the town.

Medieval Gates

Nowadays two of the four original gates of the medieval walls have been preserved: Alconchel y Los Ángeles. Puerta de San Sebastián was rebuilt in 2005 and from the Puerta de la Gracia only the arc remains.

Espíritu Santo (Holy Spirit) Chapel

Built in the 16th Century, it hosts remarkable painted tiles from 1723 inside its chapel, as well as outstanding baroque altarpieces.

González Santana Ethnographic Museum

Located inside the castle, in this museum we can find a collection of cooking utensils, farming tools and handcrafting, furniture, pottery and plenty of other objects that allow the visitor to walk through the rural and traditional culture of Extremadura.

Bastion Fortifications

Fourth and last walled precinct of Olivenza, dated from the 17th Century. It suffered three great sieges during the Portuguese Restoration War. Some parts of the nine original bastions have been preserved until today.

Municipal Palace

This building, that has hosted the town council since the 15th Century, has an unique Manueline door.

San Juan de Dios Monastery

Originally built as a convent for Saint Claire nuns, it was finished in 1631 and later surrounded by one of the bastions of the fortified walls. After the nuns, it was occupied by monks and, in the 20th Century, as carabineer and Civil Guard barracks.

Calvary Gate

Only this gate remains from the three that existed originally in the city walls from the 17th Century. It opens with a keystoned semicircular arc, crowned with a triangle gable broken by the workings of the former drawbridge.

The King's Bakery

Built by the end of the 18th Century, it’s a building annexed to the castle and the Medieval walls that still preserves the cylindrical chimneys of the four ovens that used to be able to bake up to 10 000 loaves of bread a day.

Ajuda (Help) Bridge

D. Manuel I of Portugal ordered the building of this bridge at the beginning of the 16th Century. During the War of the Spanish Succession, in 1709, it was destroyed by the Marquis of Bay to cut the assistance to Olivenza.

Concepción (Conception) Chapel

This chapel was consecrated to Saint Quiteria until the 19th Century, although its founding date is unknown. Its apse rests on a fortified tower from the Manueline walls. On the inside we can see a magnificent Neoclassical altarpiece made of marble.

Pasos (Stations)

Five altars located in the streets of Olivenza, that match the five stops or stations that are made during the procession of the Saint Patron of Olivenza, el Señor de los Pasos.

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Services

BUENA VIDA LOUNGE

Bars and cafeterias

650 51 99 99
APARTAMENTO TURÍSTICO CASA BARI

Accommodations

657 85 38 15
CAFÉ BAR YANI (S. Benito)

Bars and cafeterias

924 49 41 41
MESÓN ASADOR RANCHO GRANDE (S. Jorge)

Restaurants

666 41 59 58
BAR POYATOS (S. Fco)
620 98 61 06
BAR-I-VAR (S. Fco)

Bars and cafeterias

670 30 73 29
RESTAURANTE EL MANANTIAL

Restaurants

924 492 477
/
info@restauranteelmanantial.es
CAFETERÍA BAR SANTA MARÍA

Bars and cafeterias

689 59 26 69
/
josejoaquingarridobueno@gmail.es
PUB KIMSOR’S

Bars and cafeterias

Call us at +34 924 49 01 51, send us an email turismo@ayuntamientodeolivenza.com, or visit us at Convento San Juan de Dios, s/n 06100 Olivenza, Badajoz (Extremadura)