Velilla de San Antonio, with about 14,500 inhabitants, is a town in the Community of Madrid, about 25 km east of the capital on the Jarama river. Once a small farming village, since the 1990s it has grown as a residential town, chosen by many families for its peace, greenery and lower prices than Madrid.
History
The village dates back to the Middle Ages, as a farming settlement in the lands between the Jarama and the Henares. The name recalls devotion to St Anthony. For centuries people lived from farming, with river-watered gardens and cereals. In the 20th century gravel pits along the river created the lagoons that now define the area.
Nature
The municipality is part of the Sureste regional park, a protected area along the Jarama and Manzanares rivers, with lagoons, riverside woods and gypsum cliffs. The Velilla lagoons, born from old quarries, attract herons, ducks and other waterbirds, and are surrounded by walking and cycling paths.
What to see
- The parish church, in the town centre.
- Plaza de la Constitución and the town hall.
- The lagoons and paths along the Jarama.
Living in Velilla
The town has schools, sports centres, a cultural centre, pools and parks. It suits people working in eastern Madrid, the Henares corridor or near Barajas airport. See also moving to Spain.
Festivals
The patron saint festivities are in June, around St Anthony's Day (13 June), with processions, concerts, fairground rides and bull runs.
Getting there
Velilla is linked to Madrid by intercity buses and the nearby metro line 9 stations at Arganda del Rey and Rivas. By car it is reached via the A-3 and M-208. See also Madrid.