Restoration of Torremocha Castle
Located in the municipality of Santorcaz
The castle of Torremocha (name that comes from "topped tower") is located in the upper part of the town of Santorcaz, overlooking the ravine that flows into the plain of the Anchuelo stream. Its retired position does not respond to a strategic or military position but possibly to support the fortress of Alcalá de Henares, Alcalá la Vieja, in guarding the crop fields located between both locations.
It is the only vestige that remains of the set of defenses that formerly surrounded the town of Santorcaz, built between the second half of the 10th century and the last third of the XNUMXth century and which were built on another previous fortress, of which there is no evidence. documentary reference. The wall exceeds XNUMX meters in height in the best preserved sections and was defended by a series of towers of different types.
The walled enclosure closes an area of about 8.000 m2, inside which is the parish church of San Torcuato, some water tanks to supply the town and a home. According to different sources, the enclosure had two entrances, only one of which remains attached to the lower body of the bell tower of the church of San Torcuato. During the XNUMXth century, the castle was used as a "prison for nobles." Among other illustrious figures, the Princess of Éboli passed through it, accused of conspiring against Philip II.
restoration project
The purpose of the intervention has consisted of the consolidation and restoration works of the Palace Tower and sections 3 and 4 of the wall located between said tower and the Albarrana Tower, as well as the adaptation of the immediate surroundings, following the intervention criteria carried out. in the three previous actions carried out between 2017 and 2021.
Images of the castle before and after the intervention:
The wall presents different rigging techniques, thus showing its various construction periods. Canvas 3, the Torreón del Cubillo and the southern canvas (intervened in 2019 and 2021), as well as most of the walled enclosure, are made of concerted masonry, surely belonging to the first stage of construction attributed to the second half of the 4th century. Canvas XNUMX, however, is made of ashlar and faceted masonry. For its part, the Palace Tower presents concerted masonry and corner chains made of ashlar.
In the Palace Tower, consolidation and restoration work has been carried out on the exterior canvas with volumetric restitution of the missing stone, and conditioning of its immediate surroundings after the relevant archaeological surveys. Consolidation, restoration, reintegration and volumetric restitution work has been carried out on wall sections 3 and 4, as well as landscaping adaptation of the surrounding green belt.
