Cortijo del Fraile, Historic farmhouse in Níjar, Spain
Cortijo del Fraile is an 18th-century rural estate with whitewashed buildings arranged around a central courtyard. The complex includes a chapel, bell tower, burial crypt, stables, animal housing, and a large water storage cistern for irrigation.
Dominican friars built this agricultural estate in the 18th century as a working farm. During Spain's 1836 secularization policies, church properties were seized and this site became privately owned.
The name refers to the Dominican friars who originally founded the estate. Visitors today can see traces of this religious past in the whitewashed buildings, particularly in the chapel and bell tower.
The site lies within the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park and is reached via the unpaved ALP-824 road connecting the villages of Los Albaricoques and Rodalquilar. Travel involves dirt tracks, so sturdy footwear and flexibility with weather conditions are advisable.
The estate served as a filming location for several western movies, including Sergio Leone's classic 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'. Film enthusiasts can still recognize the spots where iconic scenes were shot.
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