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Description
Villatorres is a small municipality located in the north-central part of the province of Jaén, just 23 km from the provincial capital. This municipality was created in 1975 as a result of the merger of the towns of Villargordo and Torrequebradilla, later joined by the settlement of Vados de Torralba, known for its white houses and tree-lined streets. Both the Town Hall building and other municipal offices are located in Villargordo. Strictly speaking, Villatorres has only a few decades of history as such. It is an area close to the Guadalquivir river, with very gentle terrain — what is known as "campiña" — where much of the land is occupied by irrigated olive groves as well as cereal crops. The fertile plain areas have made it possible to grow asparagus and spinach, the latter destined for the canning industry.
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Culture
Due to the way it came into being, Villatorres's historical heritage is spread across the three towns that make it up. The most notable are:
- Parish Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Villargordo (16th century), recently restored, retaining its Renaissance façade; inside, the Mudéjar coffered ceiling of the choir stands out.
- Parish Church of San Francisco de Paula in Torrequebradilla, consisting of a nave with a gabled roof covered in Arabic tiles; a slightly pronounced transept, a Latin-cross floor plan, a dome covered externally with a hipped roof, and the bell gable marking the church's highest point.
- Hermitage of the Santo Cristo de la Salud. Built outside the town walls in the 16th century, using stones from the Iberian ruins of Maquiz, this was originally the Hermitage of Santa Ana, converted at the end of the 19th century into the Hermitage of the Santo Cristo de la Salud. Its most notable features are the ashlar semicircular-arched doorway and the single-tier bell gable.
- Palace of the Fernández de Córdoba family, located in Torrequebradilla. Built in the 17th century, it is structured over two levels, the upper one as an open gallery (solana) and the lower one as the entrance, accessed through large semicircular arches. It currently stands abandoned.
- Pilares (stone water troughs), one of which, circular in shape, was where labourers and pack animals would refresh themselves after long days working in the fields. Other troughs were used as washing places for clothes.
- Cerezo Moreno Museum, the municipality's most valuable source of cultural wealth, housing a large collection of works by the painter Francisco Cerezo: oil paintings from various periods (portraits, still lifes and landscapes), a set of twelve pen-and-ink drawings, and a series of oil-on-panel paintings depicting traditional scenes from the village of Segura de la Sierra. Due to its artistic value, this museum has become a benchmark for painting in the province of Jaén and throughout Andalusia.
- Church of Vados de Torralba, representative of post-war colonisation architecture. Notable features include its side stained-glass windows, the crosses on its façade, and its tall tower, a symbol of Vados de Torralba's tradition.
Nature
The terrain is very gentle, with the highest points found in Torrequebradilla, reaching 458 m above sea level. The first impression one gets is of an extensive fertile plain surrounded by the mountain ranges of the Sierra de Andújar.
Parties and Events
Each of the towns that gave rise to Villatorres continues to preserve its own festivals and traditions. Among them, we can mention the following:
- Holy Week: A total of seven brotherhoods process through the streets of Villargordo during Holy Week, a tradition dating back to the 16th century. The emotional intensity of the processional floats, as well as the high level of local participation, stand out.
- Fiesta de las Flores (Festival of Flowers), held in May in honour of Villargordo's patron saint, the Virgen del Amor Hermoso. The celebration includes a cultural week featuring a wide range of activities for all ages.
- Descent and ascent to the Hermitage of the Cristo de la Salud. Held on 29 July, this tradition brings together many residents of Villargordo. The day before, on the 28th, the traditional "pesos" (weighings) take place, in which children and adults are weighed on a Roman scale, then donate a sum of money equivalent to the price of wheat of that same weight.
- Bonfires of San Antón. On the eve of San Antón, 17 January, Villargordo celebrates with traditional bonfires, around which chorizo and morcilla (blood sausage) are enjoyed. The following day, a procession circles the hermitage to ask for the saint's protection over domestic animals.
- Feast of San Marcos, celebrated on 25 April in Torrequebradilla, with the making of the traditional roscón (ring-shaped cake).
Its folklore includes Christmas carols, saetas (flamenco-style religious songs), threshing songs, carnival songs, and dances, the best known of which is "el bolero antiguo", danced at the end of the olive harvest or at weddings.
Gastronomy
The distinct character of each of the three towns merged into Villatorres also comes through in its cuisine.
This is a cuisine rooted in the culinary traditions of the Jaén countryside. Among the best known dishes are:
- "Ajillo mulero", once the meal of farmhands working on the region's farms. It is made with boiled potatoes, vinegar, salt, pepper and oil, all blended into a purée, then spread on bread.
- "Migas de harina" (flour-based migas), served with a fried mixture of garlic, pork crackling, chorizo, lomo de orza (preserved pork loin) and dried choricero peppers.
- "Salpicón de melón", made using unripe melons, cut into small pieces and mixed with crushed garlic and salt, peeled tomato, breadcrumbs, oil, vinegar and very cold water.
- "Pipirrana", which, in addition to the usual ingredients of Jaén-style pipirrana, also includes hard-boiled eggs, pickled tuna and lean cured ham.
- Pickled partridge.
We must also mention the delicious and varied pastries: Roscas de San Marcos (Torrequebradilla), aguardiente-flavoured roscos, borrachuelos and alfajores for carnival. And for All Saints' Day, "gachas dulces con tostones" (sweet porridge with toasted bread), a day on which the leftover dough is used to plug keyholes, so that the souls in purgatory — who are believed to ask for a prayer of charity to help them leave Purgatory — cannot enter.
The finest expressions of Villargordo's fantastic cuisine can be found in the municipality's two most renowned restaurants: Restaurante «El Tropezón» and Restaurante-Asador «El Recreo». Both are considered among the best dining establishments in the province of Jaén, enjoying a well-deserved reputation at regional level.
History
Although the municipality of Villatorres was officially created by decree in 1975, remains of earlier civilisations have been found in the settlements of the towns that merged to form it.
On the hill of La Pedriza, remains of an Ibero-Roman settlement were discovered. During the Second Punic War, these lands were the scene of battles between Carthaginians and Romans.
Under Islamic rule, the population remained scattered across small hamlets (alquerías), seeking refuge in a fortified location in times of danger — probably on the hill of La Pedriza.
Ferdinand III the Saint conquered Torrequebradilla in 1230, and it subsequently became part of the Order of Calatrava. Under the Catholic Monarchs, it was granted the same charter as the city of Jaén, and in the 17th century it came under the lordship of Don Íñigo Fernández de Córdoba y Mendoza.
During the Early Modern period, Villargordo held great importance for livestock farming, not only due to the passage of transhumant herds, but also because of the extensive areas devoted to pasture.
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