Jaen is the capital of Jaen province, one of the eight provinces of Andalucía. We wanted to see Jaen as it is the last province we have not seen in Andalucia and also we wanted to stay at the local parador, The Castle of Saint Catherine. Jaen is significant for its olive production. It is the world’s largest producer of olive oil with 60 million trees. Jaen alone produces 20% of the world’s olive oil, more than all of Italy. The drive to Jaen was beautiful as you have row upon row of olive trees forming geometric patterns as far as the eye can see. Jaen city is a city of 116,000 people. The Castille de Sana Catalina was first a Roman fort, then Visigoth, then Muslim, then finally in 1246 Ferdinand III captured the fort and rebuilt it to its current state. The castle was converted to a Parador which is the hotel we stayed at. This was our second Parador and our favorite hotel we have ever stayed in. The rooms, dinning rooms, and common areas are an old castle. Part of the New Castle has been converted to a tourist site and it looks most like a typical castle. When Napoleon occupied Spain during the Peninsular War, French troops used the castle as a hospital and prison. When the French left they tried to bomb the castle, much like they did the Alhambra in Granada. The castle center, therefore, is ruins. The view from the castle is spectacular as it is on a mountain top. The Jaen Cathedral is a Renaissance building consecrated 1724. It is beautiful. We also toured the Arab Baths, which the Government of Jaen has built a museum attached to these baths. The Museum concerns olive oil and local art work. This was located in the Palacio Villardompardo, is free, and well done. Jaen is beautiful city and the Parador is a neat opportunity to sleep and eat in a castle.
A view from the city center way up on the ridge you
can see the Parador and castle.
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