A fantastical monument to Christopher Columbus built by a single doctor over seven years, the Castillo de Colomares looks like the result of a very enthusiastic architectural fever dream. It mixes Romanesque arches, Gothic towers, Mudejar tilework, and Byzantine domes into a sprawling structure dedicated to Columbus's 1492 voyage. Inside, a chapel measuring less than two square metres holds the Guinness record as the world's smallest church. The castle is in Benalmádena Pueblo, about 3 km from Arroyo de la Miel, and is best visited in combination with the stupa nearby.
Castillo de Colomares
A story
The Castillo de Colomares is not a castle in any historical sense — it was built by a local doctor, Esteban Martín Martín, working alone between 1987 and 1994 as a personal homage to Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the Americas. It incorporates architectural elements from Romanesque, Gothic, Mudejar, and Byzantine styles, all mixed together across its 1,500-square-metre footprint. The Guinness Book of World Records once listed it as the world's smallest church — a tiny chapel inside measures just 1.96 square metres.