The Arabs built a fortress, fundamental to the defense of the surrounding territories, around which the population nucleus emerged. In 1225, Fernando III conquered the Castle of Mengíbar, destroying it, however another was built, which in the seventeenth century was still standing, evidenced by its description by Martín Ximena Jurado.

The Courthouse of the Holy Inquisition dates back to the seventeenth century and was inhabited by Juan Rubio Galera in 1762, a relative of the Holy Office of Córdoba.

Parts of this building have been associated with the Islamic phase of the original Palace, from 800 to 1225, according to studies of archaeological surveys and analysis of its walls.

This is the only eighteenth-century chapel that has been preserved in Mengíbar, and it was reformed in 1970. The exterior is composed of an exposed stone facade, with a simple portal in which there is a circular window, and is crowned by a simple bell gable.

This church is a Renaissance jewel; its tower and Casa-Palacio form the city’s most emblematic set of buildings, with strong influences from Vandelvira, Francisco del Castillo “El Viejo” and Alonso Barba. Despite undergoing extensive detrimental renovations over time, it retains the stamp of the late sixteenth century.

The Active Museum of Olive Oil and Sustainability is configured as a modern exhibition space, made up of buildings and uncovered areas designed to educate visitors on the cultivation of olive trees, the technology of olive oil production, the olive oil economy, and scientific-technical and cultural manifestation linked to olive oil and closely related to the sustainable development of production systems.

On July 14, 1990, the new chapel of Santa María Magdalena was inaugurated and blessed, on the site of the sixteenth-century hermitage it replaced. The exterior shows a simple door finished in a semicircular arch, between two narrow and high lateral openings like arrow slits.

If you are considering visiting Mengíbar you may be interested to check the weather forcast for the next few days in the table below.

The bus service from Mengibar has routes to Jaen bus station, and the towns of Marmelejo, Andujar.

The Mengíbar tourist office is located in Plaza de la Constitución

Mengíbar Festivals

History of Mengíbar

Mengíbar is situated to the north of the capital of the province, between the Guadalquivir and Guadalbullon Rivers, in a landscape covered with olive and fruit trees and cereal fields.It has about 10,000 inhabitants.