The lost village of La Estrella – UPDATED

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La Estrella is situated 24 kilometres from Mosqueruela and the same again from Vilafranca. From the first town the track is of dirt and unbelievably bumpy, largely impossible without a 4 x 4 or walking boots. From the other, it is partially-asphalted and narrow, a spectacular drive that twists and turns through treacherous ravines which become terrifying when the asphalt road peters into a rocky trail.

For the last 30 years only two people have lived in this village; Juan-Martin, 79, and his wife Sinforosa, 82. For company they have 25 cats called Michurrin, 5 dogs, one of which answers to the name of “Estrella”, 4 hens, a rooster, 35 bee panels, and until 8 years ago, 22 horses. Oh, and some goats.

The village is very unusual.

A simple scattering of houses it is not. The buildings are indeed few, but extremely well built, petering out from a generous square presided by a magnificent church, a blue-tiled copula and all the trappings that go with such. At one point this tiny village bustled with life, a constable prowled the 3, then later, 2 tavernas, a residing priest took confession and two teachers ruled over the schools – one for the girls and the other for the boys, just in case there were any temptations!

Legend has it that La Estrella was constructed to house the mistresses of many wealthy and important “holy” men in its day, in particular one countess who was responsible for the church. Surely not, but then again no Spaniard has been able to give a better explanation for la Estrella’s existence, despite the fact that during the civil war it was a refuge for many of the “maquis” (Spanish guerrillas).

Its abandonment is easier to understand.

In 1883 a torrential storm sent a giant cascade of water down from the mountain above that in one single stroke wiped out half its inhabitants and 17 houses. It was as if the wrath of God had visited. Of interest is that the square, vicarage and church remained intact.  A memorial plaque to this dreadful happening can be found embedded in a wall to the side of the square. After the flood La Estrella lost its shine. That is to say, it was abandoned bit by bit.

But this was going to take a good while still, over several decades. To the point, it was some 70 years later that Juan and  Sinforosa  met each other in La Estrella at a dance in one of the two tavernas left. They stayed to raise a family and although their children have long since gone, they have never felt a need to follow.

It is a story that has rebounded through the vallies and mountains of El Maestrat for many years already.  Like others before me, I felt a deep curiosity about Juan and Sinforosa and wanted to meet them, feeling some kind of kinship, perhaps misplaced, but there all the same for this couple that live away from mainstream society. Like myself they had neither television nor phone. They too sourced their electricity from solar panels and a cisterna supplied all their water.

We have plenty to do with the animals and our cherry trees, they told a reporter, and a radio is just fine. Most weekends one of our children visits.

For the odd trips to the local town, to see a doctor or dentist, they rely on an old Landrover to negotiate the perilous tracks.

All this I found easily on the internet, the pair are as written and filmed about as this village is neglected it seems.  Mostly by keen hikers.  They live alone, they look after the church for no remuneration, and they probably do not know how famous they kind of are.

Ok, so nothing like me at all, but definitely intriguing and I really yearned to see this village and meet them, but with no idea how to get there, I thought I never would. It is not exactly a place you just take off for. A place hidden in one of the most, if not the most,  unpopulated areas of Europe by the way.

Then a local ranger agreed to take me there.

We started early at 7am and he drove his 4 x 4 up and beyond, his little plucky dog next to me, jumping around in jubilation, rolling the automatic windows up and down with his paws. We saw virgin forests, hidden caves and sheer drops. The beauty of El Maestrat is no stranger to me, but now it was augmented to the point that I became so landscape drunk that when we turned the corner and saw La Estrella I was unmoved. From afar yet another small enclave nestling in the shadow of a mountain. So what? I was expecting a mirage, a vision arising from the Campo, complete with virgins, statues and God knows what else.

We entered and walked around. This took exactly 3 minutes. In the centre was the famous square and church, with a vicarage of gigantic proportions, and a striking town hall. The walls were painted with frescos. On the façade of the town hall was a plaque commemorating its most famous erstwhile inhabitant, Silvio Zafont Colomer, the brilliant bullfighter who died young in a car accident in France.

Let’s go, my driver said abruptly.

No, I replied, I want to meet the old couple.

They are not here he stated, if so they would have come out to see you by now.

I was not sure. A dozen cats clustered outside the vicarage doors telling me otherwise. They had expectant looks and also a stand had been placed in front on the square. Tomorrow would be the fiesta of La Virgin de la Estrella, one of the only two days of the year that this town comes back to life.

Besides where would the couple go?

Let’s leave, he repeated. It dawned on me that he was on council time in council car and did not want to be discovered. But I held back.

At that point the door of the vicarage opened and a sprightly man emerged, beaming ear to ear. It was him, Juan-Martin! He agreed to photos, his wife too, although reluctantly (she does not like photos of herself, he confessed (another kinship here?).  Then he cheerfully showed me around the church and the vicarage where they lived; its dining halls, the kitchens, the communal bakery, and a multitude of small bedrooms in which once upon a time monks had resided.

The vicarage was god smacking. Forgive the pun.  I was overawed by the quality of the entire construction, but the wood in particular. The splendour of the church was incomprehensible. How did it come to be? When it was built the only access to this hamlet was by single file mule track. Just getting the huge stone pillars there must have been some feat!  I stumbled across a long discarded wooden beam at the edge of the town, hollowed out in a U-shape to increase its strength and help its preservation. It was a work of art, the cavity filled with mud, a scattering of snails clinging to it like sailing armadas. I lifted one end – it weighed a ton and the wood for all its dirt and damp was in perfect condition. How sadly abandoned and how to rescue it?  I could think of no way I could transport it to my masia without cutting it  with some super strong power saw into three sections and tying it to the ranger’s roof rails.

We left, passing the haunting cemetery just outside the village – I imagined the distraught wailing  of the drowned in 1883 from inside, in another dimension. My guide drove us silently up the other track towards towards Mosqueruela. Bumpy, very, and difficult.  I was tossed from side to side as I stared at the incredible virgin beauty around us.

The silence was heavy and I clung to the seats.

You were supposed to give a tip – the man asked for one, my driver finally said.

I felt bad. And I was surprised I was not wrestled to the ground. I decided I would go back and eventually six months later I did in my old Skoda estate, my heart in my throat as the track was worse than the first time due to recent floods and the car was not up to the task (I had a 700 euro repair bill afterwards!).

With me came hubby James and friend Miguel – to give a guiding hand. We were unclear as to the exact route but got there in the end. I took along a large photo of the village from the first visit and some money, both of which I pressed in the beaming Juan-Martin’s hands as soon as I saw him.

What is this for, he asked?

A tip, a propino, I replied.

And the photo?

For you. It’s free.

He looked very puzzled so I hastily added, a contribution to help with this place. He graciously took it and then spent two hours showing us around La Estrella, including places I had not seen the first time. Once he even confessed we were the first visitors to see the priest’s changing room. His ceremonial garments still lay neatly folded in a large heavy drawer.

The day was chilly and drawing to its winter end. An icy wind whipped around the neatly chiseled stone corners. The sprightly Sinformosa showed me where the bullfighter was born, a tiny house that had been crammed with his siblings. She noticed me shiver.

Us women are always cold, she confided.

Later James asked me what the highlight of the visit was for me. It was not the priest’s chambers, nor the screen the monks were obscured behind, neither seeing a few heartening reformations taking place around the village, none of that. It was those two words “us women”. My kinship was not misplaced after all.

Update! In 2018 it seems that Jaun and Sinformosa have even hit commercial fame with Landrover – I hope with all my heart they were justly rewarded! I feel perhaps not because this beautiful ad has been removed. The link below used to lead to it and despite looking for hours it is nowhere to be found. Last winter Juan and Sinformosa were taken to live in Vilfranca for their own safety due to their age. I long to find out more, but it is very difficult as I do not have a robust enough jeep for the journey.  I leave the dead link for you to click on. Somewhat symbolic.

Landrover ad of Juan and Sinformosa

And here I found it modified version in Facebook – also symbolic:

Facebook version – not as original

Soon I am returning and trying to discover what has happened to Juan and Sinformosa.

This is the last video of La Estrella after Jaun and Sinformosa were taken to Vilafranca.  Is is very good but clearly the town is all locked up as the two video makers only show the outsides and all the doors are closed. Love the cats! However it is worth watching  – the second video . The first is when they were still there. It is in Spanish so I don’t know if you google it into English. Sorry. But it is very good and gives a more complete history than I did.

The last video of La Estrella – now abandoned.