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On the hill of San Cristóbal stands the imposing

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that for centuries has protected the dreams of the people of Belmonte.

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Don Juan Pacheco, second Marquis of Villena, Master of the Order of Santiago

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and third Lord of Belmonte, decided to put the finishing touch to the town

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by ordering the construction of a palace-fortress

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between 1456 and 1472,

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a work attributed to the brothers Hannequin de Bruxelles and Egas

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Cueman, in a Gothic-Mudejar style.

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Belmonte Castle has several unique features.

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Its star-shaped floor plan consists of six towers,

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not counting the keep.

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On the base of the courtyard, which is arranged in the shape of

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an equilateral triangle, different sections are grouped together:

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the south wing houses the stately residence,

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while the north wing was used for guests.

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The keep served as a

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prison and defensive bastion,

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dominating the complex with its imposing presence.

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On the second floor is the coffered ceiling

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of the room belonging to Don Juan Pacheco, second Marquis of Villena.

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According to our ancestors, each of the stars

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that adorn it had a small silver bell;

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when the coffered ceiling moved,

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the bells gave off flashes of light and an angelic sound.

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In reality, each star

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was covered with Lapis Specularis,

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a selenitic gypsum

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so prized since Roman times that when it came into

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contact with light, it produced an effect that made you feel at one

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with Selene, the moon goddess.

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In the 19th century, Belmonte Castle became

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the property of the County of Montijo

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and, after various marriages and agreements,

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was inherited by the Empress of France,

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Eugenia de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III.

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Under the direction of the architect Sureda,

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a follower of the master Viollet-le-Duc,

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in 1857 began the restoration work

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that would be the most important the fortress had ever undergone.

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At the end of that century,

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Eugenia de Montijo ceded the use of the castle

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to a congregation of French Dominican friars.