BEDMAR Y GARCÍEZ
Born from the union of two towns, Bedmar y Garcíez is built around a fifteenth-century rock castle. Listed as a historical monument, this building has classified the village as part of the Ruta de los Castillos. It has around 2,600 inhabitants.
HISTORY
The origins of Bedmar can be traced back to the Iberians, later becoming a Roman castro and in turn inhabited by the Visigoths. However, it was during the Arab occupation of the territory that Bedmar became a formal township through the building of Villa Vieja. In 1411, the Order of Santiago built the “New Castle” modelled on contemporary defensive techniques, making it impossible for the Nasrid troops to attack. The castle’s strategic position on the Nasrid border made it a frequent object of military attention, which ultimately culminated in the Castilian conquest of 1431. More>
THINGS TO SEE
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
Built over uneven ground, the church is a magnificent display of masonry. The oldest parts, both Gothic in style, are the head and the transept. The three naves have Doric columns and Renaissance semicircular arches. Its tower, with a quadrangular plan and four semicircular arches to house the bells, becomes octagonal on the second level. Inside, two impressive eighteenth-century pulpits are preserved, as well as a baptismal font from the sixteenth century. Its portals are simple in structure but of great ornamental interest; the main one, from the seventeenth century, opens with a semicircular arch, between Ionic columns, geometrically decorated with rhombuses in the Mannerist style. In the centre, a niche houses a sculpture of the Inmaculada Concepción. It has two other covers, both with a semicircular arch; the north, from 1570, with careful flamingos at the ends of the cornice, which is attributed to Francisco del Castillo “el Mozo” and his brother Benito; and the south, dated 1620. Located on Avenida de la Virgen del Cuadro.(Location)
Palacio del Marqués de Viana
The Palace of the Marqués de Viana is one of the great Renaissance-style civic buildings in the province of Jaén. Construction began in 1501 and was concluded by 1548, when Don Díaz Sánchez de Quesada was Lord of the town, married to Doña Inés de Tabera. Thought to be the work of Don Pedro de Vandelvira, the palace has a square plan with Ionic and Doric architectural elements. Its main doorway, framed in marble by two pilasters with Ionic capitals, has a corbel on its arch and is topped by a frieze that alternates triglyphs and bull heads, instead of the typical metopes of the classical Doric order. Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2006. Located on Calle San Marcos.(Location)
Castillo Nuevo
The construction of the “New Castle” was motivated by the looting of the Villa and its previous fortress, known as Castillo Viejo. When the King of Granada, Muhammad VII, attacked and conquered Bedmar in 1407, the castle was seized and much of the population was imprisoned or executed by the Nasrids. These events reinforced the urgency of defending this area of border more strongly, since Bedmar guarded one of the most valuable communication gates between the Christian territory and the Kingdom of Granada. The Order of Santiago built the Castillo Nuevo from 1411, at the highest point of the current town, about 685 meters above sea level. It consists of two areas, the enclosure and the fortress. Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest under the Monuments category since 1985. Located on Calle Trastorre.(Location)
Hotels in Navas de San Juan
Book Hotels in Navas de San Juan
THINGS TO SEE OUTSIDE THE TOWN
Centro de Interpretación del Aceite de Sierra Mágina
The Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Origin Aceites de Sierra Mágina has had its headquarters here since 2009, in a building with an avant-garde design, popularly known as the “Guggenheim” in Bedmar. The Interpretation Centre has an exhibition space titled “From Olive Grove to Plate”, where an educational tour explains the life cycle of olives, from cultivation, to the production of oils, to its use in gastronomy. Visitors can also enjoy guided tours of the groves and mills. Located on the A-320.(Location)
Opening Times:
Winter, Monday-Thursday, 08:00-15:00hrs and 16:00-19:30hrs.
Winter, Friday, 08:00-15:00hrs.
Summer, Monday-Friday, 08:00-15:00hrs.
Tel: 953 77 20 90.
Aceites Viana
Aceites Viana is an oil mill owned by the Salcedo family, who also run the Casa Juanito de Baeza Restaurant. Founded in 1997, it is located in a privileged enclave of the Sierra Mágina Natural Park and is dedicated to the manufacture of high-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The family obtain the oil from their own groves, and oversee the entire process, from harvest to manufacture, and marketing. The best technicians are employed to monitor pests and diseases and ensure that the olives are harvested at the optimal moment of maturation. Once the collection has been carried out, the olives are transported to the mill in the shortest possible time (7 hours maximum from the beginning of the harvest), and the manufacturing process (cleaning and cold grinding) must take place within 12 hours. Aceites Viana has the most advanced manufacturing systems, with a production capacity of 100,000 kg/24 hours, controlling the entire process in their own laboratory. Located on Camino de Jodar.(Location)
Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Cuadros
Local devotion to the Virgen de Cuadros can be traced back to the Relaciones de Felipe II of 1575, and the Sanctuary was established in 1615 to honour her in the form of a tower and mill. Its interior is rectangular with a single nave covered with a false plaster barrel vault, with false transverse arches that rest on architrave pilasters. Both the nave and the presbytery, which is accessed through a lowered main arch and is covered with a half-orange vault on pendentives, are ornamented with geometric motifs and plant themes. A choir was built at the beginning of the eighteenth century and has undergone various reforms and modifications. Located south of the town, off the JV-3222.(Location)
Torreón de Cuadros
This cylindrical watchtower is 6.37m in diameter and 12m high, with 1.6m thick walls pierced by three arrow slits. The tower, now lacking its original parapet, was once divided into three floors. The original Castillo de “Quadros” is mentioned in a 1260 document by Alfonso X, but only this tower remains. According to Milagros Jiménez and Tomás Quesada (1992), it was built on a Moorish structure, possibly the "castiello" mentioned in the document. They date the tower to the 13th century, built by the Castilians to protect the pass from Bedmar to Cambil between the Sierra Mágina and Almadén peaks. Francisco Cerezo and Juan Eslava (1989) suggest it was constructed in the early 14th century. There was likely an earlier structure, probably from the 12th century, as al-Khatib mentions the place name Qutrus, possibly derived from the Latin Quattuor. The tower is located south of the town, off the JV-3222.(Location)
NATURAL AREAS
Sierra Mágina Natural Park
The rugged Sierra Mágina Natural Park covers 19,900ha of rocky, steep limestone terrain, with precipitous cliffs and high summits that are often snow-capped in winter. Evocatively named by the Moors as the mountain of the spirits, the Sierra has a fascinating history glimpsed in its prehistoric cave paintings and defensive architecture built by warring Christians and Muslims. In the tenth century, it harboured Moorish rebel leaders and, much later, bandits. Its remote corners also provided a refuge for bears, wolves and the pardel lynx.
BUS SERVICE
There is a bus service from Bedmar y Garcíez to Jaén and Úbeda. More>
GASTRONOMY
When visiting Bedmar y Garcíez, try local dishes such as migas de harina (fried breadcrumbs with chorizo), andrajos (pasta stew with seafood or wild hare), pisto (vegetable stew) and potaje de garbanzos (chickpea stew). Sweet treats include almendrados (lemon and cinnamon doughnuts), arroz con leche (rice pudding), tortas de aceite (olive oil cakes), torrijas (eggy bread) and natillas (custard pudding).
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Bedmar y Garcíez are Fiestas de la Virgen de Cuadros, Feria de Agosto, Fiesta de San José, Semana Santa and San Marcos. More>
WEATHER FORECAST
The weather forecast for the next few days for Bedmar y Garcíez. More>
TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office of Bedmar y Garcíez is located in the Town Hall. More>
NEARBY PLACES
The neighbouring villages to Bedmar y Garcíez are Jódar, Albanchez de Mágina and Jimena.