Torre de Añués

The Añués Tower is a historical-rural site located in the municipality of Sos del Rey Católico, in the Cinco Villas region (Zaragoza), next to the old uninhabited village of Añués and in the vicinity of the Bardenas canal. In the sources consulted it is described as a small medieval fortified enclave, settled on a slight rise in the terrain and linked to a settlement that is now abandoned. The most visible part is the defensive tower, with a square floor plan and ashlar masonry construction, with arrow slits and the remains of the crenellated top. Next to it are the ruins of a Romanesque church with a rectangular nave and semicircular apse, today without a roof but still legible in its layout. The ensemble allows us to understand how these border towns between Aragon and Navarre functioned, with functions of surveillance and territorial control. Its scenic interest lies not only in the ruins, but also in the open environment of gentle hills and dry farming that surrounds the depopulated area, with views of the Valdonsella and the Sos corridor. It is an attractive place for those looking for heritage in a rural landscape, with a clear reading of the medieval settlement and its subsequent abandonment. The relevance of the enclave is mainly patrimonial and historical: it is listed in specialized inventories and is associated with the medieval history of Sos del Rey Católico. The sources place its first news in the ninth century and its defensive consolidation in medieval times, although at present the complex is in ruins.