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Points of interest in Baños de la Encina

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Castle of Baños de la Encina

The impressive silhouette of the castle of Bury al-Hamma dominates the rural landscape of the town of Baños de la Encina and evidences, already from afar, the beauty of its intricate urbanism and the richness of its cultural heritage. It was ordered to be built by the Cordovan caliph Alhaken II and completed in the year 357 of the hegira (968 AD) and is today the best preserved fortified complex of the Almohad period, at the same time it is one of the best preserved Muslim castles in Spain. The castle was conquered by Alfonso VII in 1147, although, after his death, it returned to Muslim hands. Again, in 1189, the fortress of Baños de la Encina would be taken, although also ephemerally, by the troops of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Alfonso IX of León. After being definitively taken by Fernando III of Castile, in 1225, there is a tradition or rather legend, that while Queen Berenguela was in the castle of Baños de la Encina, in 1189, she gave birth there to her firstborn son Fernando, later known as Fernando III the Saint. Fernando III integrates the town of Baños de la Encina in the jurisdiction of the city of Baeza, of which it will depend until 1626, date in which Baños de la Encina obtains the condition of town. Previously, the castle belonged to the Archbishop of Toledo and the Order of Santiago. In 1458, Enrique IV gave it in lordship to the Condestable Lucas de Iranzo. It was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931 and is included in the general catalog of Andalusian historical heritage, also since 1969 has the privilege of honoring in its keep the blue flag crowned with stars of the Council of Europe, a privilege granted on the occasion of the celebration of the millennium of the construction of the castle.

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Hermitage of Jesús del Llano and its baroque chapel

In the middle of the Santo Cristo's landing, this sober building of a single nave and belfry on the main façade rises. But the contrast with its interior is indescribable: it is all light. Although its only nave is profusely decorated: from the geometric and vegetal elements that fill its walls to the frescoes with scenes of the New Testament that close the vault in height, what really surprises is its Camarín Tower, culmination of the Andalusian baroque of the XVIII century.

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Peñalosa Oilfield

At 3 kilometers from Baños de la Encina we find the site of Peñalosa, a Bronze Age settlement that since 1986 has been excavated in different stages by a team of archaeologists from the University of Granada. It sits on a tongue-shaped slate spur, with two large slopes of steep slopes bordered to the north by the Rumblar River and to the south by the Salsipuedes stream. Currently the waters of the Rumblar reservoir bathe the structures of this Argaric settlement. The inhabitants of Peñalosa exploited the mineral wealth of the valley, having documented the entire mining process: extraction, reduction and smelting of metal and the manufacture of tools and ingots. A characteristic feature of this culture are the burials in the same village, inside the houses and accompanied by trousseau according to their social rank within the village.

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San Mateo Church

The parish church of San Mateo was erected in the last third of the 15th century with a Gothic design, as can be seen in the columns of the pillars, the pointed arches and the vaults of the main nave. The side doorway is also Gothic, while the main doorway, carved in 1576, is already Mannerist. Dated 1596, its tower, with a circular base and octagonal shaft, is articulated in three sections and topped by pinnacles. Inspired by the architecture of Vandelvira, inside the bell tower the stone spiral staircase and its striking "esviaje" door are outstanding. No less interesting are the pulpit and baptismal font carved in red goat marble, its outstanding tabernacle or the enigmatic crypts in the basement, used as an air raid shelter during the Civil War.

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