Sabiote Castle, Sabiote, Spain

Sabiote Castle is located on high ground at one end of the wall that bounds the village of the same name. It is considered the most important 16th-century military building in the province of Jaén, and is also the oldest existing example of the Renaissance castle/bastion model. From its gates, the Guadalimar Valley can be seen, as well as the Sierra Morena and Sierra Mágina Mountains on the horizon. This confirms the military importance of this spot, dating back to the Bronze Age. The castle has a beautiful Plateresque frontispiece with the coats of arms of Cobos Molina and Doña María Mendoza, who were instrumental in having it built.

Part of Sabiote's walled area still exists, with some of the old gates (there were originally six) that provided access to the village. These include the Chirigote, Pelotero and San Bartolomé gates, and the Moorish Granada gate.

References:

andalucia.org

Castles and fortifications in Spain

User Reviews

Tom (Bozz) (2 years ago)
2023, Weds 18th Oct 12:00 it is shut, when it said it was open

linda krelle (3 years ago)
Nicely presented tour, not too long. Spanish obviously. A leaflet in other languages would be helpful of main points or on a webpage. Lovely setting and friendly bar / cafes in centre. Found a free carpark near centre but not big if its busy . There is a free castle car park too.

Mark Parker (4 years ago)
The entrance and guided tour was €5 each. A very interesting castle to see. Plenty of free car parking available. Check for opening times as it may be different during covid restrictions.

Nikki Parker (4 years ago)
We had an excellent tour on Sunday with a really enthusiastic young man as our guide. Although we didn't ask if there was any information in English, and nor do we expect it, it would be great if places just offered a paper version of key elements of the tour. It would also have been nice to spend a little more time in the main room with all the signboards to have the option to read them. Highly recommended visit though. We were disappointed to arrive on Thursday (06/05/2021) to find that the castle was only open on Saturdays and Sundays. Having seen how quiet Sabiote was, it was understandable. It was just before the State of Alarm had ended so it may have changed since then. Update: it looks like from June they do visits on Friday as well. You can book in advance using a QR code. It costs €5.

L&R D (6 years ago)
Interesting place. Not just a castle but a Palace. Beautiful restored. We had a great guide who told us a lot (in Spanish) about the place in a very enthusiastic way.

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Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.

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