Castell d'Albalat

Castell d'Albalat stands in ruins on a hilltop in the abandoned settlement of Albalat dels Ànecs, in northern Cabanes, Castellón. Constructed around 1280 by the bishops of Tortosa who served as lords of the place, the castle was abandoned in 1575 when Albalat was incorporated into Cabanes. Following King Jaime I's reconquest of the area in 1233, Cabanes was granted to the Bishop of Tortosa in 1243, who maintained lordship until the 19th century. The castle's most distinctive feature is a fortified church, a unique example of defensive architecture from the 16th-century Spanish Mediterranean coast. Though the structure remains in deteriorated condition, it constitutes a monumental complex of considerable historical and artistic value representing medieval ecclesiastical and military architecture.