Following the Re-conquest, the mosques of Porcuna were destroyed and replaced with Christian temples. Surviving this erasure is the Torre de Boabdil (Museo Arqueológico de Obulco), considered by Juan Eslava as “the most beautiful example of military architecture in the Kingdom of Jaén”.
After the collapse of a previous Gothic Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor, the current church was erected on the same site, although incorporating the sacristy, which had been renovated in the seventeenth century by the mannerist Benito del Castillo.
The religious, administrative and social centre of Porcuna is the Plaza de Andalucía. The generously proportioned space features balconied houses and is accessed through a Gothic-style archway. The arch was once the gateway to the medieval fortress of the walled enclosure, and was rebuilt in 1952.
Located in Plaza de Andalucía.
The Neoclassical Town Hall was previously the Royal Pósito (grain store) and was built by Carlos IV in 1798. It has a basilica floor plan and is made of carved local ashlar. The façade presents, in the centre, a portal with a staircase and a door flanked by Tuscan pilasters on podiums. Inside are rooms 3A and 3B of the Archaeological Museum, housing an exhibition of the Prehistorical, Iberian and Roman culture of the city.
The chapel was once that of San Sebastián, with a Latin cross plan covered with a barrel vault. It also has a remarkable altarpiece with biscuit stipes and asymmetrical composition, and a profuse Baroque dressing room in rockery, from the eighteenth century.
In 1437, the chapel was a priory of the Order of Calatrava, after the conquest of Porcuna in 1240, and a Benedictine Monastery. This Gothic chapel faithfully synthesizes the Cistercian spirit of the Order and integrates very different Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical elements.
The stone house was built by Antonio Aguilera Rueda (1931-1960) and is perhaps the most emblematic monument in Porcuna, or certainly the best known and most visited. The huge masterpiece is also testament to the ancient local practice, used since the third millennium BC, of forming ashlars from local quarries with which to build and decorate. This building process has carried Porcuna’s name across the world.
Museo Arqueológico de Porcuna
The settlement of Cerrillo Blanco is an extraordinary place to understand not only the importance of the Iberian “oppidum” of Porcuna, but also the history of Alta Andalucía and the entire Iberian world in general.
Since its periodic Paleolithic settlement, Porcuna has been uninterruptedly occupied by numerous settlers throughout Prehistory (Neolithic, Copper and Bronze), Protohistory (final Bronze, Ancient Iron), the Turdula period, whenit was the city-state of IbolcaTúrdula
Cabalgata Reyes Magos
The Three Kings procession is celebrated on the evening of 5th January.
Carnival
Carnival is celebrated the middle of February.
Día de Andalucía
Día de Andalucía is celebrated on the 28th February.
Día de San Benito
Día de San Benito is celebrated the 21stMarch.
Semana Santa
Holy Week processions, dates can vary.
The tourist office on Porcuna is located in the Town hall in Plaza de Andalucia
Cambus bus company provide a five a day return bus service between Porcuna and Jaen city bus station, and a four a day return service between Porcuna and Cordoba city bus station.
If you are considering visiting Porcuna you may be interested to check the weather forcast for the next few days in the table below.
Porcuna is a small but fascinating village, considered among the province’s richest in archaeological sites, with many important findings such as an Iberian bull. It has about 6,150 inhabitants.