Castle of Feria

Castillo de Feria crowns a steep hill above the small town of Feria, in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. Rising sharply out of an otherwise flat, wide-open plain, the site was chosen for exactly that reason: whoever held the hilltop controlled the sightlines over the surrounding countryside for miles in every direction, making it a natural stronghold long before the present walls went up.

Why does a small village have such an imposing castle?

The story begins on 26 February 1394, when King Henry III of Castile granted the towns of Feria, Zafra and La Parra to a Galician knight, Gomes Suárez de Figueroa, in reward for his services to the crown. That grant created the original Lordship of Feria and tied the Suárez de Figueroa family to this corner of Extremadura for generations to come.

His successor, Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa, was later granted the title of Count of Feria by King Henry IV. It was Lorenzo who, in the mid-15th century, raised the castle's first tower and its core structure, launching a major building campaign in 1460. His grandson finished the work in 1513 — the same decades in which the family's old alcázar in nearby Zafra was being turned into the palace-castle of the Dukes of Feria.

How powerful was the House of Feria?

Between 1394 and 1523, the Suárez de Figueroa built up one of the largest noble domains in the region: a lordship covering sixteen towns across Lower Extremadura and roughly 120,000 hectares. By size and population it ranked as the third most important seigniorial state in all of Extremadura, and quite possibly the wealthiest. The castle at Feria was one of the anchors of that power — a fortified lookout over open territory the family needed to hold.

What can visitors expect to see today?

The main draw is the building itself and the setting: the defensive silhouette on its hill, and the sweeping views over the plains of Lower Extremadura from its walls and towers. The castle still dominates the skyline above the small town of Feria, standing as one of the clearest physical reminders of how thoroughly a single noble family shaped this part of the region during the late Middle Ages.

Where exactly is it, and how does it relate to Zafra?

The castle sits in the municipality of Feria, Badajoz province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, western Spain, not far from the Portuguese border — at approximately 38.515°N, 6.568°W. Zafra, the nearest larger town, shares the same family history: its castle-palace of the Dukes of Feria was under construction at the very same time as the fortress in Feria itself, both projects driven by the same lineage.

Frequently asked questions

Who built Castillo de Feria? Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa, the first Count of Feria, raised the first tower and main structure in the mid-15th century, continuing the legacy of his grandfather Gomes Suárez de Figueroa, who received the lordship from King Henry III in 1394.

When was the castle constructed? Building work ran from 1460, when Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa began a major reconstruction, through to 1513, when his grandson completed it.

Is Castillo de Feria connected to the castle in Zafra? Yes. Both fortresses were projects of the same family: while the castle at Feria was being built and expanded, the old alcázar in Zafra was being converted into the palace-castle of the Dukes of Feria, on the same timeline.

How large was the domain controlled from here? At its height, between 1394 and 1523, the House of Feria's lordship spanned sixteen towns in Lower Extremadura and about 120,000 hectares, making it the third-largest noble estate in the region.