Introduction
La Guardia de Jaén is located 10 kilometers south of Jaén, enclosed in the east side of San Marcos hill where La Guardia stream flows creating a fertile meadow.
La Guardia castle dominates the whole village and a big area over the valley of river Guadalbullón. It is an important strategic passage that made La Guardia and its castle one of the most important cities of the area in the 11th century.
The castle´s base is an irregular triangle and it is divided into two individual areas: the alcazar and the alcazaba.
On the northeast corner of the enclosure, we can find the Alcázar built in the 15th century and refurbished and adorned on the 16th century. It is guarded by four different towers: one Muslim rounded tower, two squared towers and the keep which has a square base and rises 35 meters in height.
In the interior of the Alcázar there are two wells. One is Muslim and the other Christian.
The fortified Alcazaba enclosure was built during the 13th century. Towers to defend the Alcazaba were unnecessary due to its zig-zag outline. The main fortress entrance was through an enormous late Gothic door built during the 16th century.
History
La Guardia, formerly the Roman Mentesa Bastia, was built over an Iberian Oppidum. During the Muslim period, it was called Mantisa and it was capital of and one of the oldest cities in Cora de Yayyan.
In 1244, La Guardia was conquered by Ferdinand III before the conquest of Jaén. As a consequence of el Pacto de Jaén, La Guardia became a strategic castle and for two and a half centuries guarded Jaén against a Nasrid occupation through the Guadalbullón basin.
La Guardia Castle was witness to many wars: In 1425 was a battle during which the Archbishop don Gonzalo was captured. In 1460, during a Muslim incursion, the Condestable of Jaén, Miguel Lucas de Iranzo was arrested.
During the late 15th century, when the Nasrid Reign and threat was over, La Guardia Castle was deeply modified losing its strategic military function and becoming a palace for the Mexía family.
In 1812, the castle was still habitable and was occupied by Napoleonic troops which set on fire and destroyed the fortress on their retreat.
http://castillosyfortalezasdejaen.com

La Guardia de Jaén Castle

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El castillo de Otíñar es una antigua fortaleza medieval situada en el municipio de Jaén, provincia de Jaén, comunidad autónoma de Andalucía, España. Está considerado como Bien de Interés Cultural.
Situación
Está situado sobre cerro con fácil acceso, en la carretera de Jaén a Quiebrajano, a unos 13 kilómetros de la capital, sobre el río Valdearazo, en el despoblado de Otíñar. El castillo ocupa la parte más angosta de la meseta que corona el cerro.
Descripción
El castillo tiene planta alargada, con un recinto construido en mampostería, que aprovecha las defensas naturales en su parte oriental. Los restantes lienzos de muralla tienen más entidad, incluso con un pequeño bastión en su lado oeste. Dentro del recinto, hay restos de edificios de vivienda y un aljibe.
En la parte sur del recinto, situado sobre un roquedal, se construyó un pequeño alcázar, que se mantiene en pie. Está construido en sillería y dispone de una airosa torre del homenaje de dos plantas, situada sobre un risco. Las cámaras interiores de la torre tienen bóveda de medio cañón, construida en ladrillo. La escalera de acceso está adosada a los muros.
Datación
Parece que, hasta el Pacto de Jaén, el poblado de Otíñar tuvo un carácter eminentemente agrícola y careció de defensas. La fijación de la frontera convirtió este lugar en un punto decisivo en la vigilancia de los pasos serranos que por la Sierra Sur de Jaén unían la ciudad de Jaén con el Prebético granadino.​ Su construcción se suele datar en la segunda mitad del siglo XIII, aunque el alcazarejo se considera posterior, del siglo XV.​ Parece que el recinto pudo edificarse sobre otras estructuras más antiguas, de origen andalusí.
Como parte del sistema defensivo de Jaén, tenía conexión visual con la atalaya de Torrebermeja, que a su vez comunicaba con el castillo de la ciudad.

Castillo de Otíñar

The castle played a major role in the battles between Moors and Christians. The Castle of Santa Catalina acquired special relevance in the Peninsular War, when it was turned into an important base of operations for Napoleon’s troops. Its excellent location afforded phenomenal views over most of the province, the city of Jaén and the city’s cathedral, in particular.
Three fortifications made up the old fortress built on top of the hill known as Cerro de Santa Catalina: the Alcázar Viejo (Old Fortress), built during the reign of King Alhamar; the Abrehui castle; and the Alcázar Nuevo (New Fortress), which Fernando III gave orders to build in the 13th century. Of the three, only the latter one remains. Its original structure is more or less intact, whereas the first two were torn down in the mid-20th century to build the Parador Nacional de Turismo (a state-owned hotel). Currently the Parador is considered one of the best castle-hotels in Europe.
Napoleon’s troops turned the fortress into a huge barracks or stronghold from which to wield strict control over most of the province and the strategic Sierra Morena mountain passes, in particular. To that end, accommodation for the regular troops, stables, dungeons, offices, powder magazines and even a fifty-bed hospital were distributed among the three fortresses. We know about what happened in those years thanks to the ruins that are still standing, the plans of the fortresses and a few photographs made at the turn of the 19th century.
In any event, what can be seen of the Castle of Santa Catalina today is more similar to the way it looked in the Middle Ages than after the changes made by the French army. The layout of the fortress you can visit now is almost triangular and defended by six towers. The Torre del Homenaje rises to a height of 40 metres. Next to it stand the Torre de las Damas (Ladies Tower), which protects the entrance to the Castle; two defensive towers (one of which houses the chapel of Santa Catalina, the city’s patron); the Torre de la Vela (Watch Tower), where fires were lit on the flat roof to send signals to other defensive posts in the surrounding area; and the Torre de las Troneras (Embrasure Tower). Here we come to another of the fortress’ curious elements, for the tower had been used as a latrine since the Middle Ages. Latrines were not a very common feature in medieval castles, and the Frenchmen decided to use the tower for the this purpose.
Moreover, the latest excavations carried out in the area revealed that there had been a palace or royal household quarters inside the Arab fortress. Some decorative elements were found, as well as traces of the transformations the castle underwent throughout various historical periods. At times, some of the rooms were used not only for residential purposes but also to house the administrative areas or as the workplace for state employees.
Currently, the castle boasts a Visitor Centre that recreates a large part of its evolution and the history of Jaén. The city offers an opportunity to end a magnificent day with a visit to the cathedral, a crown jewel of the Andalusian Renaissance, the largest Arab baths in Europe, and the most important collection of Iberian sculptures, which are exhibited in the Provincial Archaeological Museum.
http://castillosybatallas.com/

Castle of Santa Catalina in Jaén

Saint Catalina's Castle (Castillo de Santa Catalina) is a castle that sits on the Cerro de Santa Catalina overlooking the Spanish city of Jaén. It is now the site of a parador.
History
The castle began as an 8th Century Moorish fortress last improved by the Nasrid King Abdallah ibn al-Ahmar, who also built the Alhambra. Earlier, where the parador now stands, there was a tower known as Hannibal's Tower, of which some traces remain. After King Ferdinand III of Castile captured the city in 1246 after the Siege of Jaén, he commenced a transformation of the castle, including construction of what became known as the New Castle on the eastern extreme of the hill. The bulk of the work, however, took place under the reigns of Alfonso X and Ferdinand IV. There are five towers and a donjon, with one of the towers holding the Chapel of Saint Catalina. One of the last structures built during this period was the donjon, which was the work of the Conestable of Castile, Miguel Lucas de Iranzo. The builders of the new castle used some of the towers and ramparts of the old fortress, and destroyed or replaced others. The construction in 1965 of the parador resulted in destruction of many of the elements of the Old Castle. The few remnants of the original fortress occupy the western extreme of the hill.
The 17th century saw some interior remodeling of the buildings. Then in the early 19th century, Napoleonic forces built a gunpowder store, stables, hospital, offices, kitchen, and artillery platform. Little beyond the foundations remains of most of these.
On the top of the hill there is a monumental cross that recalls the cross that Ferdinand III had erected there. At the foot of the cross, engraved in the rock, is the "Sonnet to the Cross" by the poet Almendros Aguilar.
The castle and parador have a view over the valley of the Guadalquivir to the ridges of the Sierra Morena. General Charles de Gaulle stayed in the parador while writing his memoirs.

Castle of Santa Catalina (Jaén)

Albanchez de Mágina Castle is a Spanish fortification and Bien de Interés Cultural landmark in the Province of Jaén. It is located on the eastern slope of La Serrezuela, in Albanchez de Mágina in a very rugged area, at an elevation of 950 meters (3,120 ft), overlooking a large valley. While the exact date of construction is not known, some authors (Cerezo and Eslava) speculate it could date to the 14th century.