Cortijo del Fraile
Movie set · Granada
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In the 1920s, a bride fled this farmhouse the night before her wedding with her cousin, who was found murdered; her brother-in-law served prison time for the killing. Federico García Lorca read of the affair in the Madrid press and wrote "Blood Wedding" from it. Sergio Leone later used the ruined cortijo as a set for "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in 1966. Only the chapel still stands, and the site is a protected Cultural Heritage asset.
The Dominican friars of Almeria built the farmhouse in the 18th century at the center of a 730-hectare estate, with an oratory, bell tower and a 12-niche burial crypt arranged around a central courtyard. The Church lost the property in an 1836 confiscation, after which it passed into private hands and slowly to ruin: several walls collapsed in 2011. In 2026 the Diputacion de Almeria bought the estate for 1.95 million euros after a year and a half of negotiation. Architect Alfredo Garrido is now overseeing its restoration, and officials say whatever cannot be saved will be rebuilt exactly as it stood.
Practical
Reached via the ALP-824 between Rodalquilar and Los Albaricoques, with a signed turn about two kilometers from Rodalquilar; the ruin is closed to visitors while restoration gets underway.
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