Top Historic Sights in Tudela, Spain
Explore the historic highlights of Tudela
Tudela Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Tudela was originally a collegiate church. It became a cathedral with the creation of the Diocese of Tudela, which existed 1783-1851 and again 1889-1956. It is now a co-cathedral in the Archdiocese of Pamplona and Tudela. Christians under Alfonso the Battler conquered Tudela in 1119. The city had been under Muslim control, although three religious communities were living there. In t ...Church of St Mary Magdalene
Santa María Magdalena (St Mary Magdalene) was erected in the second half of the 12th century, perhaps on the site of a Mozarabic church. The sculpted portal is elaborately decorated with biblical scenes and those of daily life. The bell-tower is also Romanesque with a series of rounded arches. The interior has a 16th-century gilded retablo dedicated to Mary Magdalen. The chapels were built during the 16th and 17th centur ...Torre Monreal
The Torre Monreal is a tower, traditionally considered of Arab origin, located on a hill to the southwest of the city of Tudela. It probably dates from when Amrùs walled Tudela in the year 802. However, there is no documents before the thirteenth century. In 1343 the ramparts and battlements of the tower were repaired, as they were demolished in the severe storms and floods that occurred in previous years. After the Cas ...Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Historic Site of the week
Caerleon Roman Amphitheatre
Built around AD 90 to entertain the legionaries stationed at the fort of Caerleon (Isca), the impressive amphitheatre was the Roman equivalent of today’s multiplex cinema. Wooden benches provided seating for up to 6,000 spectators, who would gather to watch bloodthirsty displays featuring gladiatorial combat and exotic wild animals.
Long after the Romans left, the amphitheatre took on a new life in Arthurian legend. Geoffrey of Monmouth, the somewhat imaginative 12th-century scholar, wrote in his History of the Kings of Britain that Arthur was crowned in Caerleon and that the ruined amphitheatre was actually the remains of King Arthur’s Round Table.
Today it is the most complete Roman amphitheatre in Britain.