Architectural heritage

History has left all over our lands a multitude of elements ranging from the time of the Iberians to the present day and show us the splendor that these places once achieved. The Iberian villages of Batea, Caseres and Gandesa are the first footprint that history has left in the region. Repopulated by the Templars after the expulsion of the Saracens, the remains of towers and castles that rose majestically to defend the territory are still evident today, as a sample we can see the remains of the castle of Algars in the municipality of Batea, and the tower of the prior in Horta de Sant Joan. The religious architecture is present in all the municipalities with imposing Romanesque and Gothic buildings that pleasantly surprise visitors, highlight the church of Sant Miquel de Batea built during the eighteenth century in neo-classical Baroque style; the Parish Church of Sant Andreu de la Fatarella started in the 17th century, where the interior is in Renaissance style with Gothic elements and the Baroque façade in the 18th century; the Archpriest’s Church of the Assumption of Gandesa, built during the first quarter of the 13th century, in Romanesque style in the part of the apse with extensions made in the 17th century and the Parish Church of Sant Llorenç in Vilalba dels Arcs, building that combines elements of different styles, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque where the slender Baroque bell tower 40 meters high stands out. Also noteworthy is the Convent of the Virgin of the Angels, or from Sant Salvador to Horta de Sant Joan, made up of a group of buildings of various chronologies (XIII-XVII) arranged around a Renaissance cloister. Outstanding in the civil architecture are the old Renaissance palaces of Arnes and Horta de Sant Joan and stately homes such as the house of the order located in Horta. Also noteworthy are the modernist cooperative wineries of Cèsar Martinell located in Gandesa and Pinell de Brai known as wine cathedrals.