Castellar (Castellar de Santisteban)

Castellar is located in the central area of the El Condado, situated to the north of Jaén. The crops take up more than half of the municipal district, grouped in the south where predominated the olive grove, although the fertile plain of the Guadalimar, with a great resource, holds up garden, industrial and forage framings. In mountain range area, the ticket is abundant, and because of this, we cannot find developed cattle, from the hunting point of view, we can find small game. The economic activity is centred on the agriculture and on the olive growing.

In the area around Castellar we can find one of the bigger Iberian worship centres, the cave Sanctuary of Cueva de la Lobera that should be very important from the second half of IV century B.C. Many people from Sierra Morena went there due to its strategic position. The numerous votive offerings found in it show the sculptural achievements which put them in the artistic vanguard within the known world.

But the presence of the man in this area is oldest, the archaeological traces found in its municipal district dates from 3000-2000 B.C. One of the most interesting finds is the one of the cave of Sima, with a collective sepulchral collection of the Neolithic, or the towns of Argar or the country estate of the Capilla.

During the Roman Age proliferates in the surrounding area a huge number of big towns such as the country house of Parrilla and Dorado.

Castellar was one of the first towns conquered by Fernando III to the nasrid in 1226. However, until the end of the Castilian conquest, this land had to support the raid of the Nasrid troops in its lands. The defensive remains that we can find in these lands are a testimony of the times of battle; the majority are disguised or reused in later buildings.

During the Middle and Modern Ages Castellar was bound to the Casa de los Benavides. When the Christina reconquest finished these Benavides converted the Little fortress into a feudal palace, with a good ashlars and in related to the Castilian stylistic fashion, but preserving inside the old Homage tower. Another of the most emblematic buildings bequeathed by this family in Castellar is the ex-collegiate church of Santiago, one of the richest foundations of the province in XVII century.

These Benavides were Lords from 1371, then they were earls in 1473 and later duke and duchess of Santisteban del Puerto in 1793. From the founding of the county in1473 started to develop a series of disputes among the three villages that made up the County -Santisteban, Castellar and Navas- some of them have remained until nowadays. The crucial stage of these disputes is the ruling of 1798 known as "document of the concord", in which it was ceded by the feudal house a series of lands to the three villages and in contrast the concession of the waste lands to the County of Santisteban. Even, this treaty did not mean the end of the arguments; in XIX century continued a long dispute that pursued delimit with precision the territorial demarcations of Castellar and Santisteban. 

Monuments

Iglesia Colegiata de Santiago, XVI and XVII centuries. 
 
Palacio de los Duques de Medinaceli. 
 
Casa Consistorial, XVI century. It preserves the Escrituras de la Concordia. 
 
Castillo de don Men Rodríguez. 
 
Archaeological Sites 
 
Site of Las Cuevas de Lobera. Iberian Sanctuary. 
 
El Dorado. Iberian and Roman. 
 
El Campillo. 
 
Remains of the castle.

Town Planning 
 
Plaza de la Constitución

Gastronomy

Fried breadcrumbs. Salmorejo. Ajoblanco. Sobas. French beans. Wild boar with pickle Pickled partridge. Rabbit with bordonera sauce. Rabbit to the thyme. Rabbit to the jarón. Venison to the bañusca. Asparagus with sauce. Hunting stews. 
 
Sweets: Oatmeal porridges with honey. Pestiños (Honey-coated fritters).

How to get there

You have to exit Jaén and continue in the road J-14. In the roundabout, take the exit 2 and continue in the road E-902 / A-44 towards: Bailén - Madrid. You have to take the exit towards: Salida 3 - Bailén - A-32 - Linares - Albacete - Ubeda. In the roundabout take the exit 1 and continue in A-32 / N-322 towards: Linares - Albacete - Úbeda. Take the exit towards: salida 116 - Linares. Alleyway of Arquillos and continue until Castellar.

Distances

To Jaén 108 km 
To Úbeda 44 km  
To Arquillos 33 km  
To Villacarrillo 23 km  
To Camporredondo 14 km  
To Beas de Segura 26 km  
To Puente de Génave 36 km  
To Navas de San Juan 23 km  
To Santisteban del Puerto 9 km  
To Villanueva del Arzobispo 21 km 
To Sorihuela del Guadalimar 9 km