La Peña de Martos

Published on 14/05/2018

Martos (Comarca Metropolitana de Jaén)

Monuments

Rising to 1,003 metres, the Peña emerges from the middle of the Jaén countryside to become the emblem of the town of Martos at its foot.
Inhabited since the Neolithic, in Roman times the city of Tucci was an episcopal see. Under Muslim rule it changed its name to “Hisn Tus” or “Martus”.
Of the castle of the Peña de Martos, built by the Order of Calatrava on its summit, only ruins remain today, the result of systematic plundering and the inevitable wear of time.
Completely ringed by a wall, except on the south-west side, where the inaccessible terrain made it unnecessary, the castle took up the whole summit plateau, fitting perfectly to its difficult terrain.

More about this place…

The huge rocky beacon of the Peña de Martos, rising above the sea of olive trees of the Jaén countryside, shelters at its foot one of the most historic towns in the province. The Peña, with its castle, features in countless stories and legends of the town of Martos. In this article we also visit the Town Hall, a building that once held the old prison and council chamber, to see the Roman inscribed stones, dating from the 1st century, set into one of its sides.