Santa Barbara Front. Celadas

Santa Barbara Front

Celadas

Celadas was one of the towns near Teruel, which suffered the most from the two armies, being in the very first line of fire. A line was formed with a certain continuity guarded by the 22nd Mixed Brigade. The republican offensive of 1936 and the attack of April 1937 indicate the prominence of this town.

It was a town near the front lines of Cerro Gordo, Altos de Celadas or Muletón, being a disputed point and the scene of heavy fighting, such as those that happened in April 1937 during the Second Battle of Teruel.

Santa Bárbara Front

The most important position in its surroundings was that of the Hermitage of Santa Bárbara. Important strategic point that made it control a large territory where military operations were carried out. It was soon occupied as an observatory by the 22 Galán Brigade and a main post during the offensive of December 1937. Currently, the remains preserved next to the hermitage do not present a good state of conservation, as a result of the powerful bombardments it received, in addition to the passing weather.

An underground shelter dug into the rock with two entrances stands out. The rest of the complex is completed with a series of highly altered and partially covered trench branches. Yes, we can easily see a text made with large stones that reads “VIVA ESPAÑA”, whose purpose was to differentiate them from the air from the Republican side, located opposite, on the Cerro de San Cristóbal.

To access the trenches and the refuge of the hermitage of Santa Bárbara (where the national troops were located), we will start from the Town Hall, turning along the first path to the right, again to the right and continue along the path that leads to said hermitage.
To get to the hermitage of San Cristóbal (where the republican troops were located), take the road in the direction of Alfambra, taking the first path to the right and the second to the left. From here you can see the town, the Teruel and Alfambra roads and, opposite, the Santa Bárbara hermitage. There are hardly any remains of this position, since the trenches were covered when the hermitage was rebuilt.

Near Celadas, in the municipality of Caudé there was an important observatory position for the national troops in their offensive on Teruel. Its leading role came on January 17, 1938, because it was one of the points from where the enormous bombardment carried out by 400 artillery pieces was coordinated.