Chilluévar

Chilluévar

Chilluévar lies just outside Spain’s largest Natural Park, Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas, attracting visitors seeking unspoiled countryside and activities. rural and active tourism. The town also has a rich ceramic history. It has approximately 1400 inhabitants.

HISTORY

The oldest records found in the area of Chilluévar date back to the time of the Iberians, in the village of Las Almansas, and to Roman times, when it was densely occupied with rustic villas. A set of funerary inscriptions are preserved in the Provincial Museum from this time. In the Muslim period, Chilluévar was identified with Alcoray, a town mentioned for the first time in 1256, and may be the Alcorahe cited in 1384 in a document of King Juan I. More>

THINGS TO SEE

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Paz
The original iglesia (chapel/church) was built at the same time as the farmhouse, as it formed a single building. Other than being more modern, it differs from the old buildings as it does not have an open courtyard for cattle at the entrance of the building. It was known by the name of ‘Cortijo de los Cipreses’, but it is known today as ‘Chilluévar Vieja’ or ‘Cortijo de Chilluévar’. In front of the chapel there was a large cattle ravine, owned by La Mesta (powerful sheep owners’ association), beside where pilgrims, walkers, and ranchers gathered. It was a route linking this area with Levante (the eastern region of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Spanish Mediterranean coast), crossing the sierras (mountains) of the four towns. This farmhouse served as a hostel for the different pilgrims who travelled throughout the peninsula at that time, as there was a lack of towns where they could spend the night. The church was constituted for the second time under the invocation of Nuestra Señora de la Paz del Santísimo on 10th February 1781. At the end of the eighteenth century, a new parish church was consecrated in ‘Chilluévar Nuevo’, a quarter of a league from the previous chapel. With the appointment of the new Pastor Don Andrés Molina de la Torre, further impetus was given to the new construction of the church. When the National Movement broke out, this church suffered greatly, with images, sacred ornaments, and altars all destroyed, leaving the Chilluévar Nuevo building useless for Catholic worship. Located on Paseo Mauro Viñé.

THINGS TO SEE OUTSIDE THE TOWN

Cooperativa La Unión de Chilluévar 
Cooperativa La Unión de Chilluévar was established on 15th March 2007, as a result of the union of the two existing cooperatives in the municipality, San Vicente and Nuestra Señora de la Paz, which in turn instigated many other unions led by small-sized mills throughout the last century. La Unión de Chilluévar has more than a thousand members who benefit from the region’s terrain to produce a genuine olive product in terms of its quality, aroma, and flavour, obtained from the best picual (type of olive) and royal olives collected at their prime. Visits by appointment only. Tel: 953 717 016. Located on Calle Extramuros.

Puente Romano
The Puente Romano (Roman bridge) over the Cañamares River consists of a single semi-circular stone arch, a perfect semi-circle whose vertical element embeds perfectly into the foundation. It represents one of the best-preserved cultural legacies in the area. Although it has traditionally been considered Roman, it is difficult to assign it to a precise historical era, so it could date from a later period, such as the Middle Ages. Located about 2.5km south of the village.

NATURAL AREAS

Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas
With a total surface area of 209,920ha and covering almost a fifth of Jaén province, this is Spain’s largest protected area and one its most extensive forested zones. Located in eastern Jaén province, it connects the Sierra Morena and the Subbética mountain ranges. The highest peak in this immense park is Pico Empanada at 2,107m and the entire park is higher than 600m. Recognising its exceptional ecological importance, the area was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1983 and created as a Natural Park in 1989. First impressions of the park may be of barren rocky crests and vast pine forests, but the area’s botanical importance within Andalucía is matched only by the Sierra Nevada Natural Park, with a fifth of the vascular plants in the Iberian peninsula found in the Sierra de Cazorla Natural Park. It is also home to 51 species of mammals, 185 birds, 21 reptiles (including an endemic lizard), 12 amphibians, 11 fish, and one of the highest numbers of butterfly species in the Iberian Peninsula, with 112 varieties found here.

BUS SERVICE

There is a bus service from Chilluévar to Jaén. More>

GASTRONOMY

Visitors to Chilluévar can try traditional dishes such as ensalada gitana (tomato and pepper salad), ajo labrao (garlic paste spread on bread), talarines (pasta stew served with wild hare, partridge, or wild ceps), tortilla serrana (chorizo omlette) and cordero con romero (rosemary lamb). Sweet treats include arroz con leche (rice pudding) and pan de higos (fig bread).

FESTIVALS

Popular festivals in Chilluévar are Fiestas Patronales en Honor a Nuestra Señora de la Paz, Festividad de San Isidro, Ferias y Fiestas en Honor de Nuestra Señora de la Paz. More>

WEATHER FORECAST

The weather forecast for the next few days for Chilluévar. More>

TOURIST OFFICE

The tourist office of Chilluévar is in the Town Hall. More>

NEARBY PLACES

The neighbouring villages to Chilluévar are Santo Tomé and Cazorla.