Llerena, the Jayona Mine and the Regina Roman Theatre

Llerena, located in the south of the province of Badajoz, offers a wealth of monumental sites which are the fruit of historic periods of glory. Seat of the Masters of the Order of Santiago and of the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, the old town has numerous convents, churches and palaces where the Gothic-Mudejar merges with the Baroque. 

A walk through the old town offers you the marvels of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Granada, the Courtyard of the Tribunal of the Inquisition and the Bishop's Palace. Its close relationship with medieval Military Orders has bequeathed a wonderful collection of religious monuments such as the Church of Santiago, where the last Master of the Order of Santiago is buried, and convents such as La Concepción, La Merced or Santa Clara. You should dedicate a morning to these places and then, in the afternoon, it is well worth visiting hospitals such as the Hospital of San Juan de Dios and Santa Catalina. In the field of civil architecture, the Maestral, Episcopal and Consistorial Palaces together with that of the Zapata family offer a collection of beautiful courtyards, noble hallways and spacious rooms.

 You should spend the next morning visiting Casa de Reina, very near to Llerena, where you will find the Roman remains of Regina which has a magnificent theatre seating a thousand spectators. From the theatre you can make out the ruins of a majestic Moorish citadel, situated in the neighbouring town of Reina, declared a Historic-Artistic Monument, in whose interior an ancient Visigoth basilica has been preserved.

If you continue southwards you will arrive in Fuente del Arco, where you will find the Jayona Mine, declared a Natural Monument in 1997. It is an ancient iron mine which ceased production in 1921 and which was recovered in 1997. It has eleven levels, three of which are now open for visits. The interior is a genuine maze for you to lose yourself in, with a great central shaft and vertical walls leading to the tunnels and galleries.

The visit to the mine is free of charge but must be by appointment. It is carried out in small groups on foot and takes an hour and a half, during which you can observe the fauna and vegetation which have colonised this singular and attractive space as a result of its micro-climate. Bats, eagle owls, goshawks, blackbirds, goldfinches, blue tits, azure-winged magpies, thrushes and even black storks have found this to be a perfect habitat along with numerous other small animals.

In Fuente del Arco you can also spend the afternoon visiting the Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Ara, considered to be the Sistine Chapel of Extremadura. It has a marvellous repertoire of frescos of biblical scenes on the walls and the domes.