Alcaudete
by Saskia Mier
Alcaudete is another of the destinations in the province of Jaén suitable for both devotees of rural and active tourism and those who prefer to explore cultural offerings. This municipality is crossed by two of the most interesting cultural routes in Andalusia; the Route of the Caliphate (one of the Routes of Al-Andaluz Legacy) and the Route of the Castles. It has about 10,480 inhabitants.
HISTORY
The oldest settlement remains unearthed locally date from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic eras, corresponding with camps located in the nearby mountains. Its more formal occupation dates back to the third century BC, as a consequence of the colonization carried out by the Iberians. The Romanization of the area is sufficiently demonstrated by the presence of dozens of rural settlements. The early Christian sarcophagus of Constantine’s period belongs to this era, from the fourth century, found in the orchards around Calle Torres Ortega at the end of the nineteenth century and preserved today in the National Archaeological Museum. More>
THINGS TO SEE
Castillo de Alcaudete
The impressive fortress was built in Emral times, and became famous for being inaccessible during the Caliphate period. The fortress was the protective centre of a commercially very active medina, located on an important road and commercial network; militarily it was coveted by both Muslims and Christians. Of these primitive defenses there are no remains, due to the significant restructuring that the defensive complex underwent in the Almohad period, with a new fortress built. Likewise, the population is surrounded by a wall built with earth on a masonry basement, defended by small square towers. The Christian conquest of Alcaudete in 1246 and its adjudication to the Military Order of Calatrava caused a new restructuring, including the construction of the castle that is currently preserved and the development of the old fortress into a pre-wall. After the conquering of Granada and the assignment of the town to the Lordship of Montemayor, the fortress lost its military function. The Lords of Alcaudete transformed the castle into a private residence to manage their estates. It has become a tourist-cultural space that houses the Interpretation Centre (Centro de Interpretación de la Orden Militar de Calatrava). Declared a Historical Monument in 1985. Located in Plaza de Santa María. (Location)
Centro de Interpretación de la Orden Militar de Calatrava
The Interpretation Centre transports the visitor to the thirteenth century to discover first-hand the origin and history of the Military Order of Calatrava and the inner workings of a castle on the border with the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada; the way of life and internal structure of the Order; the War methods used for the assault and defense of a fortress; and the manual and personal weapons used by the Friars or Monk-Knights. Highlights include the improvements made in terms of furniture in the various rooms and exteriors of the Calatravo de Alcaudete Castle, necessarily respecting its historical rigor and architectural heritage. On permanent display are five life-size siege weapons of the style used in assaults on castles and fortresses, and a set of purist ornamentation and human recreational figures. Located in Castillo de Alcaudete. (Location)
Casa Consistorial
Since the eighteenth century, the Town Hall has been a symbol of the town, situated in the new urban centre. The structure presents a new cubic volume, whose homogeneity is broken by the verticality of its façade, accentuated by the small clock tower. The building has baroque characteristics in terms of the movement of the elements of the façade: staircase, pilasters, lintels, balconies, windows with protruding bars and gazebos, curved pediment, niche and sculpture of San Miguel. Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2004. Located in Plaza 28 de Febrero. (Location)
Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor
Construction of the church began in the first half of the sixteenth century. Typically for Jaén, it was built on the space formerly occupied by a mosque. Its exterior is composed of two covers from the first half of the sixteenth century; both develop a Marian theme program where Renaissance elements are mixed with other figurative and heraldic elements. In the second half of the sixteenth century, the construction of the current main chapel was carried out by Francisco del Castillo “El Mozo”. The monumental complex includes other buildings from a later period, such as the seventeenth-century bell tower, and a set of Sacristies. (Location)
Fuente de la Villa
This fountain is possibly the most important in Alcaudete. Located in the town centre, it is the most visited and used by residents. It was built in 1775 when Juan de Mesa was Mayor of the town. Three pipes were placed on the pillar instead of the two that it previously had. Of this water, a third part was given to the Convento del Carmen and the rest was for the villagers until it reached the Convento de Santa Clara. Anyone can take water from this plentiful source. Located on Calle Carmen. (Location)
Fuente Zaide
History states that, in the fourteenth century, the warden of the castle, Fernando Alonso de Córdoba, had three Muslim slaves named Maymona, Aixa and Zara. Aixa was endowed with great beauty, for which Don Fernando repeatedly demanded her love, though never successfully. Inside the castle was a Muslim man named Zaide, in love with Aixa, and both of them escaped from Alcaudete on the day of the town market celebration. Zaide was arrested and his head was cut off, on the spot where the fountain is situated today. Located on Calle Alcalde Fernando Tejero. (Location)
Sarcófago de Alcaudete
The sarcophagus dates from the fifth century and is preserved in Room 8 of the National Archaeological Museum. It was located in Alcaudete in 1884, forming part of a stable manger, and came from the old Christian towns or temples of Alcaudete. Opinions differ about its style and chronology, but almost all agree that the sarcophagus is inspired by oriental art, perhaps Byzantine; but it is certainly a provincial workshop, given its artistic rusticity. Its exact dating is equally divisive, with experts placing its construction somewhere between the fifth and sixth centuries. Three scenes are presented in the relief; the resurrection of Lazarus, the fight between David and Goliath and Daniel in the lion’s den. (Location)
Mercado de Abastos
The covered market is the oldest market in the province of Jaén and one of the best examples of twentieth-century regional architecture. In front of this building was the original door of the Almohad wall from the twelfth century, now disappeared under the street and the surrounding buildings. Its plan simulates a leaf shape with a slight oval appearance in the main area, narrowing until it reaches the rear entrance. It is made up of a single floor and was built according to the main façade with the common construction system in industrial architecture of the time by which the stone was combined with the solid brick factory on a masonry load-bearing wall. This façade shows its access to the outside through a semicircular arch and brick fretwork in the shape of a serpentine. Registered in the General Catalogue of Protected Buildings on December 19, 2007. Located on Calle General Baena. (Location)
Arco de la Villa
The arch was once one of the gates through which the walled enclosure of the medieval city was accessed, replaced and displaced between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by the new stone arch that exists today. Located 662m above sea level, the original medieval gate was flanked by towers, allowing direct entry into the city from the east. Although today the structures that formed it have disappeared, some evidence remains to determine its exact location, which corresponds to a place further behind the arch that is currently called Puerta de La Villa, since the remains of the basement of one of the towers that defended it appeared in the first decade of the twenty-first century in the construction works of a nearby lot. This primitive gate would have been dismantled when the city’s granary was built in the sixteenth century. Located on Calle General Baena. (Location)
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Aurora
Work on this chapel began around 1732, and it is of the largest in Alcaudete. Until the nineteenth century it had a flourishing life, served by the Carmelitas Descalzos Friars, whose convent it adjoined. After the confiscation of the mid-nineteenth century, the chapel became dependent on the parish of Santa María, although it continued to celebrate mass until 1920. In 1921, the chapel was enabled as a hospital for those wounded in the War in Africa, in which many locals participated. The primitive construction has undergone various adaptations to suit different social purposes, including a bar, casino and theatre in 1931. The image of Aurora was passed to the Ermita de la Fuensanta but disappeared in the Spanish Civil War. (Location)
Iglesia del Carmen
The church, also known as the Iglesia de la Encarnación, is a Mannerist-style temple within the architectural conceptions of the time, as well as the special characteristics of convent churches of the Carmelitas Descalzos. This church is now the only remaining building of the defunct Carmelitas Convent founded by the fourth Count of Alcaudete in 1590, which was in use until its confiscation was decreed, later being used as a school until its demolition. Located in Plaza del Carmen. (Location)
Iglesia del Convento de Santa Clara
This church has a rectangular plan, of the so-called “box type”, dating from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, although with reforms during the next two centuries. Structurally, the head is covered with a half-orange dome on pendentives, while the body of the nave is covered with a barrel vault with lunettes, showing its sections separated by transverse arches. The elevation is decorated with flat Corinthian pilasters. Located on Calle Santa Clara. (Location)
Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol
The church was built as a result of the spectacular increase in population that Alcaudete experienced from the sixteenth century. It is a Renaissance church covered with vaults, characteristic of Vandelvira. It has three naves separated by slender columns and a straight head, with the choir and the tower built at its feet. The exterior buttresses of the ashlar walls emphasize the sober criteria of its construction. It was completed by Juan de Monra in the second half of the sixteenth century, according to the plans given by Francisco del Castillo. Located on Calle Sabariego. (Location)
THINGS TO SEE OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE
Ermita de la Virgen de la Fuensanta
The existence of the chapel in the year 1511 is testimony that, in previous centuries, the Virgen de la Fuensanta was worshiped. The destruction of the Fuensanta Archive by the French during the War of Independence also destroyed all documented data of great cultural value. The earthquakes registered in March and April of 1951 left the chapel in a dilapidated state. It had to be completely demolished and the current sanctuary built, works which ended in August 1963. Located on Carretera de la Fuensanta. (Location)
Molino Árabe de la Fuente Amuña
The name of the Amuña Fountain comes from “almunia”, a country house or small fortification from the Muslim period. It is a natural spring that irrigates all the orchards in the area and has a washhouse and Arab water mill. In Christian times, the mill belonged to the Count of Alcaudete. It remained in use until the 1950s. In 1815, a lawsuit arose in relation to the appointment of the position of Mayor of Waters who was in charge of the distribution of the water from the Fuente Amuña, the attention and care of the spring and maintenance of the pipes. The parties involved in said lawsuit were, on the one hand, the Duke of Frías, who at that time was also the Count of Alcaudete and had obtained from the King the privilege of appointing this position, and the City Council, which, supported by the Cortes of Cádiz, appointed Alonso Adán as Mayor of Waters. Finally, the position passed to City Council and Municipal Ordinances were drawn up, which were later modified in 1862 and 1879. Today, it is a beautiful recreational area with parking lots, picnic areas and barbecues. Located 1km from the town, on Carretera de la Fuensanta. (Location)
Ermita de San Antón
The chapel is believed to have existed as early as 1511. It is mentioned in a host of manuscripts thereafter and is currently in ruins, but it has a wonderful viewpoint. The chapel was famous for hosting the holy protector of animals. Located north of the town. (Location)
NATURAL AREAS
Laguna Honda
The Laguna Honda Nature Reserve is situated at the meeting point between the Betic Mountains and the Guadalquivir Depression. It is one of the few lagoons found in the province of Jaén along with Laguna del Chinche. The lagoon is flooded by the first autumn rains and retains a small amount of water until spring supported by the bed of a small stream coming from the Sierra de Orbes. The Laguna Honda bowl has a semicircular shape and belongs to the type of endorheic steppe lagoons, shallow, with a high degree of salinity. The vegetation typical of these lagoons is very limited and not very varied. Along the banks of the lagoon appear species adapted to a high degree of salinity; this is followed by discontinuous groups of African tamarisk. The main species that settle in Laguna Honda are aquatic birds. Species such as the pink flamingo, the redfish, the common coot or the white-headed malvasia can be seen here. (More)
Laguna del Chinche
The Laguna del Chinche Nature Reserve is situated in a small endorheic basin of about 50 hectares, and is fed exclusively by surface runoff. This lagoon, in its temporary and hypersaline origins, recovers its aquatic character in extraordinarily rainy years and for a short period of time, which is why it can be classified as ephemeral, being covered daily by a pasture of grasses. In the Laguna del Chinche, the marsh vegetation of the border is very degraded and only bits remain, such as reed, cattail and African tamarisk. Among the aquatic birds, the occasional presence of pink flamingos, stilts, common pochard, mallards and wigeon and red and spoon ducks stands out. The lagoon is a space of relative importance for the wintering of some birds and a place of passage in the migratory routes of others. Therefore, the best time to visit the lagoon is in winter. (More)
GASTRONOMY
Alcaudete’s gastronomy revolves around olive oil, an essential product in Mediterranean cuisine and the basis of all stews and fried foods. In fact, there is a variety of olive tree in Alcaudete that produces exquisite oil: the Carrasqueño olive tree. Try local dishes such as relleno de carnaval (meatloaf), alboronía (spiced bean, aubergine and potato salad), ajo blanco (garlic and almond soup), caracoles en caldo (stewed snails), albóndigas de jamón (ham meatballs), encebollado de boquerones (marinated anchovies) and potaje de Semana Santa (chickpea, cod and spinach stew). Sweet treats include arroz con leche (rice pudding), compotas de ciruelas (stewed plums), empanadillas (filled pastries) and bollos de higo (fig bread).
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Alcaudete are San Antón, Semana Santa, Fiestas Calatravas and Feria Real. More>
NEARBY PLACES
The neighbouring villages to Alcaudete are Alcalá la Real, Baena and Martos.