If you drive up into the rugged, wind-swept foothills of the Moncayo mountain range in Zaragoza, you will eventually stumble upon a moody, picturesque settlement guarded by the stone ruins of a medieval castle. With a permanent population hovering around just 90 residents, Trasmoz looks like any number of sleepy, forgotten rural villages scattered across northern Spain.
Except for one minor detail: Trasmoz is the only town in Spain—and indeed one of the very few places on earth—to be officially excommunicated and cursed by the Catholic Church. And to this day, neither the Vatican nor local ecclesiastical authorities have ever lifted the punishment.
A Medieval Dispute Over Firewood
To understand how a peaceful mountain village wound up barred from the kingdom of heaven for all eternity, we have to travel back to 1255.
In an era when wood was the absolute lifeblood of any community—used for heating homes, forging metal tools, and cooking daily meals—the villagers of Trasmoz found themselves in a bitter dispute. They insisted on harvesting their firewood from the nearby Monte de la Mata, cutting across the territorial claims of the powerful Cistercian Monastery of Veruela located just five kilometres down the road.
The abbot of Veruela, wielding immense feudal and religious power, demanded total submission and tax compliance from Trasmoz. When the proud locals flatly refused to bow to monastic rule, the abbot took the ultimate nuclear option of the Middle Ages: he initiated proceedings to officially excommunicate the entire town, casting its citizens outside the church and cutting them off from the sacraments.
The Second Curse and the Black Veil
The feud did not end in the 13th century. Three hundred years later, tensions flared up once again between the monastery and the secular lord of Trasmoz, Pedro Manuel Ximénez de Urrea, over water rights and local taxation.
Historical Legend: According to local lore, the enraged abbot decided to settle the score in the dead of night. He draped a heavy black veil over the altar cross inside the village church, took a breath, and began loudly reciting Psalm 108—a biblical passage calling down divine wrath and destruction upon adversaries. Every single verse was punctuated by a tolling bell, sealing a permanent curse upon the town and its lords that supposedly endures to this day.
Because of this dark reputation, coupled with the remote isolation of the Moncayo mountains, Trasmoz quickly became a magnet for terrifying local folklore. For centuries, neighbours whispered about clandestine covens, necromancy, and witchcraft meeting in the shadows of the castle ruins—fables later immortalised by the famous 19th-century romantic poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, who sought recovery from tuberculosis in the surrounding countryside and wrote extensively about the village's haunted aura.
Embracing the Curse: Tourism and Tradition
Today, rather than shying away from their rebellious, unholy past, the resilient people of Trasmoz have leaned into it with brilliant Spanish wit. They proudly embrace the title of "cursed-blessed" (malditos-benditos).
| Festival / Attraction |
What to Expect |
| Feria de Brujería (Witch Fair) |
Held every June, this massive annual celebration draws thousands of visitors. The town crowns a local resident as the Bruja del Año (Witch of the Year) and celebrates local history with medieval markets and theatrical shows. |
| Castillo de Trasmoz |
The iconic 13th-century fortress ruins, now partially restored and housing a fascinating museum dedicated to the region's turbulent history and witchcraft legends. |
| Luz de las Ánimas |
Celebrated at the end of October, this atmospheric festival honours the dead with traditional pumpkin-carving workshops and a haunting evening procession from the church to the local cemetery. |
If you are planning an autumn road trip through Aragon, visiting Trasmoz around late October offers an unmatched eerie atmosphere. While you are there, stop by the single village bar to chat with locals—they love recounting how modern popes still haven't gotten around to signing the paperwork to lift the 800-year-old excommunication!
From medieval property disputes to eternal spiritual bans, Spain's rural interior is packed with eccentric local history that you simply won't find in standard guidebooks.
Have you ever explored the hidden mountain villages of Aragon or tracked down Spain’s darker historical legends? Would you dare to spend a night in the only officially excommunicated village in the country? Drop your thoughts and travel tales in the comments below!
This virtual 4K walking tour provides an immersive look at the medieval streets, castle ruins, and haunting atmosphere of Trasmoz.