A Guide to Jaen

The town of Jaen is another town which has been influenced by the Moors during their occupation of the region of Andalusia. The town holds two fantastic monuments in the form of the Moorish fort on top of Mount Santa Catalina and the Cathedral which dates back to between the 16th and the 18th Centuries.

There are many other smaller gothic churches in the area which are also worth a visit including the Church of La Magdalena and La Santa Capilla de San Andres. If you are especially fortunate you may arrive in the town at the same time as the grand festivals. At this time the streets give way to huge bonfires in order to honour their patron saint San Antonio Abad who is also the protector of animals.

These festivals engage the whole town as the different sides compete with each other to try and build the biggest bonfire. There is also a museum in the town which contains one of the best collection of Spanish and Portuguese art. Jaen is a wonderful small town and is needs to be visited for a couple of days especially during the festivals of the town.