- They were built at the beginning of the 11th century and had four rooms: a vestibule, a cold room, a warm room and a hot room.
- In the basement of the Villadompardo Palace, they cover 450 square metres, which makes them among the largest in Spain.
- Despite the Christian conquest of the city in 1246, they stayed in use until the 15th century.
- At the end of the 16th century the Villadompardo palace was built on top of them, and they were buried.
- Restoration work began in 1936 but was interrupted by the Civil War. It resumed in 1970 and the restoration was fully completed in 1984.
More about this place…
In the old town, the Arab Baths are one of the emblematic monuments of Jaén. Built by the Muslims during their rule of the city, they date from the year 1002. After the Christian conquest they stayed in use until the 15th century, when they seem to have become a tannery. At the end of the 16th century the Count of Villadompardo built his palace on top of them, and they lay buried until 1913, when they were discovered while the Monumental Catalogue of Jaén was being compiled. Their restoration began in 1936, was interrupted by the outbreak of the war and was not resumed until 1970. It was completed in 1984 and earned the medal of honour of the Europa Nostra association.
