Our Monumental Fortress
The Castle of Villanueva de Cañedo dates back to the 11th century, as a military fortress, built during the reconquest of the Iberian peninsula.
The lack of defensive orography required the construction of the enormous moat that surrounds the castle.
Catholic Reign
In the 15th century, the estate was under the dominion of catholic rule. The fortress was used to harbor troops when seizing the town of Toro during the war of Succession of Isabel the Catholic against Juana la Beltraneja.
Alonso de Fonseca
In 1478 Alonso de Fonseca y Quijada, bishop of Avila, acquired the castle and transformed the fortress into a palace full of unique architectural details.
Fonseca intended to make the castle his primary home to live in tranquility with his mistress Doña Teresa de las Cuevas, away from the speculation and gossip of nearby towns.
Legitimised his children by the Catholic Monarchs, the eldest son, Gutierre, became the first Lord of Villanueva de Cañedo.
Thereafter, legend has named it the castle of Good Love, in honor of the Bishop's feelings towards Doña Teresa.
Agricultural Warehouse
After the death of Don Alonso and Doña Teresa, the castle is not inhabited again and is soon used as an agricultural warehouse. This remains true for several centuries.
the neglect and lack of maintainance causes the towers to decay and the loss of the defensive wall. The surrounding inhabitants remove stones to build their houses.
The interior is in better condition, with the exception of the coffered ceilings on the upper floor, which were lost due to a fire in 1903.
Restoration from 1958
In a considerable state of abandonment, the castle is acquired by the Fernández de Trocóniz Family, carrying out the neccessary restoration that returns the castle to its former glory.
They are a family of hoteliers. At that time running three hotels: Fonda Trocóniz (in Miranda de Ebro), the Gran Hotel of Logroño and the Gran Hotel of Salamanca.
The acquisition and restoration of the castle was done with the intention of converting it into a hotel, but was not able to open it's doors to the public at the time.
Accommodation
The family kept the hotel as a home untill 2003, Due to the high cost of restoration decided to convert the castle into a hotel. In doing this, the fortress became self-sufficient and enjoyable for all.
The works was carried out with great care to respect the authenticity of the building as much as possible and thus be able to offer each guest a beautiful and memorable stay.
Opening the doors as Posada and venue in 2003 has allowed us to both keep the castle in a immaculate condition so it can also be enjoyed by future generation. Now we can all inhabit the castle and we can imagine what life was like in other times.
