Bailén

BAILÉN

by Saskia Mier

Bailén is the perfect destination for history enthusiasts. The town was the site of an important turning point during the Battle of the Peninsular War (Guerra de la Independencia) on the 19 July 1808, when Francisco Castaños and the Spanish defeated the great Napoleonic Army for the first time. The annual commemorative celebrations for this event mean that July is the best time of year to pay a visit to the town. It has about 17,550 inhabitants.

History

Bailén has an important history due to its strategic position. Since prehistoric times, it has been inhabited by populations scattered throughout its municipal territory. More stable, established populations have existed here since the Copper Age, giving rise to the formation of oppidum by the Iberian era, documented in Cerro Garrán. The area must have been important in Carthaginian times, since numerous twentieth-century archaeological finds across the municipality testify to a significant Iberian-Punic trade, perhaps caused by the proximity of Cástulo. More>

Hotels in Bailén

Things to see

Iglesia Parroquial de la Encarnación
The church was inaugurated on November 16, 1504, by the Bishop of Jáen, Don Alonso Suárez de la Fuente del Sauce, an event attended by the Counts of Bailén; Don Rodrigo Ponce de León and Doña Blanca Sandoval. Architecturally, it is considered the most emblematic local building, made of red sandstone cut into ashlars. Construction of the church began in the fifteenth century following the Catholic Kings or Elizabethan style, corresponding with the trends set by other churches in the province. The solid buttresses of multi-linear molding stand out on the exterior, together with the octagonal tower culminated by a conical ornament on a quadrangular body of smaller bells. (Location)

Casa de la Cultura
This nineteenth-century house is located on the former Camino de Jaén, one of the main gateways to the city, specifically the Madrid-Cádiz route, which once connected with the old Bailén Castle. In the first half of the twentieth century, the house was used as a family home by Don Juan Gracia Alonso, Mayor of Bailén. In 1984, the Town Hall decided to acquire the building to facilitate the relocation of the municipal library and offices, at which point it was refurbished; its original structure was retained but adapted to house the library and exhibition and assembly halls. (Location)

“El Vivero” Parque de Eduardo Carvajal
This park, of extraordinary botanical richness, is popularly known as “El Vivero” and was constructed between 1893 and 1895, at which time Don Eduardo Carvajal was Mayor of Bailén, from whom the park inherited its name. Inside there is a wide floral and arboreal variety such as the three-thorn acacia, the tree of love, rose bushes, American cane, cypress, wallflower, cineraria, sage and rosemary. There is also a charming little house used as the residence of the gardener and their family since 1914. Don Salvador Merlo, who lived in the grounds with his wife Doña Olaya Tamargo and their seven children, is credited with planting many of the species visible in the park today. (Location)

Ermita de la Limpia y Pura
In 1808, Fray Manuel de Jaén, a Capuchin priest, saw the Spanish troops marching alongside him until they reached the site where they would defend themselves from French offensives. A Gallic General, known as Dupré, was mortally wounded during the Peninsular War when he attacked the Spanish army with his cuirassiers; he was buried in this chapel due to its proximity to the battlefield. Built at the end of the fifteenth century, it was a small, poorly maintained, rustic, whitewashed hermitage until 1947, when the Rentero Tello family donated it to the Brotherhood of San Juan Evangelista, who restored it in 1985. (Location)

Ermita de la Soledad
This chapel’s history is marked by the two styles distinctly presented in its architecture; the Gothic is reflected in the rectangular nave, divided in four by three pointed arches, all settled since the end of the fourteenth century. Four centuries later came the Baroque style dressing-room tower, where a pointed window serves as a link with the nave. The altar offers access to the sacristy on its left and the dressing room to its right, both made of stone and lintelled, revealing plant decorations in the vault. Inside are the images of the Cristo del Buen Morir and another full-size image of the Virgen de los Dolores that was made in the 1940s and that survived a fire in the temple. (Location)

Ermita de Nuestro Padre Jesús
The chapel dates to the eighteenth century, and was originally named Ermita del Santo Cristo de Nazaret. It is adjacent to the Town Hall and made of red sandstone ashlar, supposedly constructed from leftover pieces from the Parroquia de la Encarnación. The interior has two differentiated areas; a presbytery with a half-barrel vault and a quadrangular space with a half-orange dome on four semicircular arches. The pendentives decorated with Baroque plasterwork together with the oval shields with the symbols of the Pasión de Cristo adorn the oratory. The oratory houses two images of Nuestro Padre Jesús, one crafted from a candlestick and another made in plaster in the 1940s. (Location)

Ermita de Santo Cristo
This eighteenth-century chapel once served as a local school, and was subsequently donated by the Bailén families of Corchado and Barreda to the Santa Vera Cruz Brotherhood. Through a semicircular arch, the portal gives access to the temple, the most outstanding element of which is its centralized half-barrel roof in the transept and presbytery, with plant motifs as decoration; voluminous acanthus leaves surround the shields, two of them supported by children. The images of Cristo de Medinaceli, Oración en el Huerto, Virgen de los Siete Cuchillos, Ecce-Homo and Santa Mujer Verónica can be admired inside. (Location)

Glorieta Virgen de Zocueca
This site was once surrounded by orchards, since it is an abundant natural water source. In bygone times, local men would collect water in jugs from a stone fountain. This required immense skill, threading a reed to conduct water from the fountain to their vessels. A blind man called Joaquín ‘El Aguador’ (‘the water carrier’) supposedly had a particular talent for this extraction. In the mid-twentieth century, the site was remodelled; today, it is a small split-level paved esplanade, with two staircases flanking a fountain topped with the patron saint’s image, and a fenced flower garden in front.(Location)

Huerta de San Lázaro
Commonly known as Huerta del Sordo (Deaf Garden), this garden is an outstanding symbol of the Peninsular War, where both armies converged during the Battle of Bailén in 1808, and is now Declared as a Historical Site of Cultural Interest. Preserved in its interior is the old waterwheel that acted as a dividing line between the French and Spanish armies during the battle. The historic day played an important role, since the heat, together with the shortage of water for the French troops, was a key factor in defeating the Gallic army. Popular tradition states that many of these soldiers threw themselves to the waterwheel, crying “Die here and resurrect in Paris”. (Location)

Paseo de las Palmeras
This well-known contemporary-style park was built in 1933. Its construction was the initiative of then-Mayor Cristóbal Marín Ruíz Castellanos, to alleviate the existing unemployment in the town. Its design included the Allegorical Monument to the Battle of Bailén, accompanied by 77 palm trees. The work was designed by the architects Vicente Sánchez Andújar and Antonio Rivas at the end of the 1980s.(Location)

Ayuntamiento
The central square, Plaza de la Constitución, was so named in 1933, the same year that the Town Hall was transferred to its current premises. The building formerly housed the Civil Guard Barracks, which were moved to the rear of the building to accommodate the Municipal offices. These reforms were carried out by the architect Don Alberto López de Asiaín. The Barracks were finally moved in 1994. It is worth contemplating the façade of this building, where the Bailén coat of arms stands out along with the clock and the turret built to house it. Today, this is an electronic chronograph, acquired in 1982.(Location)

Museo de la Batalla de Bailén
The Museum of the Battle of Bailén is mainly dedicated to the eponymous historic event of 1808, which was the first open-field defeat of the Emperor Napoleón Bonaparte and provoked a change in the course of the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814). The museum’s main objective is to recount local history throughout the Battle of Bailén, as well as presenting the locality from different perspectives: patrimonial, historical and emotional. The museum constitutes a space for documentation, conservation, research and learning, in which details of the battle and its historical context are analysed. (Location)

Things to see outside the village

El Santuario del Rumblar
The village of Zocueca, a word of Arabic origin linked to the name of María Santísima, is located between the municipality of Andújar and Bailén, approximately 6 km from the latter. The Sanctuary’s construction dates back to 1150, when a poor and rough hermitage was built by the Mozarabic Christians. A small image of Mary was venerated for having protected her elders and later them, by winning King Alfonso VII the fields of Bailén.(Location)

Picualia Oleoturismo
Picualia offers visitors of all ages the chance to learn about the Bailén olive oil culture through a wide variety of activities including a guided tour of their olive groves and mill, tasting sessions and dining. Visitors can explore the harvest, production, bottling and sale of this product, as well as the benefits derived from olive oil. Picualia has a very spacious parking area for coaches. Located west of Bailén, off the Carretera Madrid-Cádiz.(Location)

Uvas Bailén
Visitors can discover the sixty-year-old vineyard and learn about its history, the entire growing and harvesting process and how grapes are prepared for sale. Visitors in September can taste the freshly picked grapes, and collect their own boxes of grapes to take home. Uvas Bailén was established in September 2019 due to the closure of the Santa Gertrudis winery. Faced with the challenge of what to do with the grapes and to avoid having to dig up the vineyard, they decided to sell dessert grapes and use the remaining grapes for wine-making.(Location)

Countryside Walks

There are various hiking routes, duly signposted throughout the area, allowing visitors to explore the local flora, fauna, ecosystems and spectacular landscapes full of contrasts and beauty. The routes range between 0.8km and 5.5km, with levels of difficulty mainly rated medium-low, so that anyone can do them without great physical preparation, however, some people choose to combine the routes and travel up to 20km of trails.(Location)

Handicrafts

The most popular historic craft in Bailén is its ceramics; look out for locally produced works in shops.

Gastronomy

When visiting Bailén, try dishes such as patatas con caldo (stewed potatoes), andrajos (tomato and rabbit stew) and revuelto de setas (scrambled eggs and ceps). Sweet treats include helado con aceite de oliva (olive oil ice-cream), papajotes (lemon leaves coated with dough that are fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon) and pestiños (sweet honey pastries).

Natural Areas

Dehesa de Burguillos Situated next to the Rumblar River, the Dehesa de Burguillos is a public mountain owned by Bailén. Originally used for livestock (oxen and sheep), it was also used for obtaining picón from the mountain (a plant-based charcoal). For some time, the Dehesa de Burguillos has been an ecological focal point for local citizens, as a place for leisure and relaxation in the countryside (barbecues, picnic areas, springs, walks, etc.), but also as a place for environmental education. Standing atop the valley and in the foothills of the Sierra Morena, it’s no coincidence that it is near to the Natural Park Sierra de Andújar. It contains an impeccable Mediterranean forest dominated by holm oaks and wild olives, mastic, rock rose and broom, a pastoral farming area and a magnificent riverbank forest comprising alders, willows, ash and brambles which spreads parallel to the Rumblar River. It is also a magnificent place to see various bird species such as the common nightingale, Cetti’s warbler, wrens, wagtails, kingfishers, blue rock thrush, and a large colony of red-rumped swallows, crag martins, and the common swift.

Festivals

Popular festivals in Bailén are San José Obrero, Día Conmemorativo de la Batalla de Bailén, Romería and Fiestas Locales. More>

Nearby Places

The neighbouring villages to Bailén are Linares, Mengíbar and La Carolina.