San Pedro Church and the Lovers of Teruel

The church of San Pedro contains the fourth of Teruel's UNESCO Mudéjar towers and the mausoleum of the Lovers of Teruel — the city's most celebrated monument. Diego de Marcilla and Isabel de Segura are Spain's equivalent of Romeo and Juliet: a medieval love story of forbidden attachment, separation, and death. Whether historical or legend, the story has defined Teruel's identity for centuries.

The mausoleum, designed by Juan de Ávalos, holds alabaster effigies of the two lovers lying side by side. Their hands are positioned to nearly touch but not quite — a detail that makes the monument genuinely moving. Adjacent to the mausoleum is a small museum tracing the story through historical documentation and artistic representations. The Mudéjar tower is one of the four that form the UNESCO World Heritage ensemble.

things to do sight museum
A story
The story of Diego de Marcilla and Isabel de Segura — who died of grief after being separated by family opposition and returned to reunite only after death — was first written down in 1555 but claimed to be based on events of 1217. The mausoleum was built in 1955; the alabaster effigies of the lovers lie side by side, their hands nearly touching but not quite, as they were in life.