The Frontier Path
Description
ROUTE FROM LOPERA TO ALCALÁ LA REAL
MILITARY LANDMARKS ON THE LAST FRONTIER
This itinerary, which includes some of the most striking examples of military architecture, follows the same north-to-south progression as the Castilian territorial advance: it starts in Lopera, passes through Porcuna, Martos and Alcaudete, and ends in Alcalá la Real. This final frontier features several castles belonging to the Order of Calatrava, including its main commandery in Martos, along with the fortress that, following the Castilian conquest of Jaén, became the most advanced outpost of the new kingdom: Alcalá la Real.
Travellers thus gain insight into the organisation of the military orders and the process of military conquest that enabled the Kingdom of Castile to advance into the territory of the Nasrid Kingdom, culminating in 1492 with the capture of the city of Granada.
Is part of
Rutómetro
Lopera Castle
Lopera
A KEY DEFENCE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OF JAÉN
Its origins lie in a fortified church, which, after several interventions, was transformed into a castle-palace. Following the Castilian conquest, Lopera was granted, in 1240–1241, to the Military Order of Calatrava, giving rise to the Encomienda de Lopera. Its role as a frontier fortress in the advance of Castilian armies through the countryside of Jaén was crucial during the 13th and 14th centuries, regaining prominence in the second half of the 15th century — amid the noble power struggles that took place during the reign of Henry IV.
The outer walled enclosure preserved today, with its irregular pentagonal layout and five solid corner towers, belongs to this later fortification. Between the late 15th century and the first half of the 16th, this fortified church was adapted into a castle-palace.
Walls and Tower of Boabdil
Porcuna
THE PRISON THAT HELD BOABDIL
The town of Porcuna safeguards the remains of the walled enclosures that once defended the old city, the most representative surviving structure of this fortified complex being the Torre Nueva, with its octagonal floor plan, built in 1335 by the Order of Calatrava in Gothic-Mudéjar style, which now houses the Archaeological Museum of Porcuna.
Popularly known as the Tower of Boabdil, as sources say he was held prisoner in Porcuna Castle after being captured at the Battle of Lucena, it is an octagonal tower in the Gothic-Mudéjar style, once attached to the castle's walls and structure, reaching a height of 28 metres.
Castles of the Villa and of the Rock, Martos
Martos
POWERFUL FRONTIER STRONGHOLDS FOR CHRISTIAN EXPANSION
The legacy of Martos's powerful defensive past features two main structures: the Keep and the Almedina Tower of the Castillo de la Villa (13th century); and the remains of the Castillo de la Peña, belonging to the Order of Calatrava (an irregularly shaped citadel, difficult to access, surrounded by a walled enclosure that stands out above the present-day town).
The fortresses of Martos played an important role as a frontier stronghold in the territorial expansion undertaken by Castilian armies during the 13th and 14th centuries. Later, in the second half of the 15th century, they once again gained prominence amid the noble power struggles during the reign of Henry IV.
It was after its transfer to the Order of Calatrava by Ferdinand III, in 1228, that the defensive complex visible today was built.
Alcaudete Castle
Alcaudete
A CALATRAVA STRONGHOLD AGAINST THE NASRID KINGDOM OF GRANADA
This castle was always a key stronghold, particularly during the second half of the 13th century, gaining major strategic importance along the frontier with the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. This led the Castilian monarch Ferdinand III to hand it over, in 1246, to the Military Order of Calatrava, which would undertake extensive reinforcement of its defences.
The Almohad alcazar, with its polygonal layout and lined with towers and bastions built of rubble masonry and rammed earth, was restructured by the Order of Calatrava, which built a new fortress within it. During the Renaissance, having lost its military function, it was converted into a palatial residence, transforming the existing structures.
La Mota Fort
Alcalá la Real
FROM ISLAMIC CITY TO ROYAL PATRONAGE ABBEY
The Monumental Complex of the Fortaleza de la Mota stands imposingly on the skyline of Alcalá la Real.
La Mota is structured into three fortified enclosures: the madina, the alcázar and the arrabal (outer district). The complex rises from a steep, plateau-like hill covering almost three hectares, at an altitude of over a thousand metres, from where it controlled the routes connecting Granada and Almería with Córdoba and the highlands of the Guadalquivir.
The triangular alcázar is made up of three towers: the Keep, the Bell Tower (or Torre de la Vela) and the Torre Mocha. Around it lies the madina, occupying the entire plateau summit of La Mota. Among the towers of the walled enclosure, the Torre de la Cárcel stands out, built between the 14th and 15th centuries. Access to the interior of the enclosure was through a complex fortified system requiring passage through five gates, three of which still stand today: the Puerta de las Lanzas, the Puerta de la Imagen and the Puerta del Peso de la Harina.
The Iglesia Mayor Abacial, standing to the south of the alcázar, was built between the 16th and 17th centuries, on the site of the original church commissioned by Alfonso XI, of which only the Gothic funerary chapel of Dean Chirinos (15th century) remains. Other notable elements of the madina include the Casas del Cabildo Municipal and the Carnicerías (butcher's houses), both built in the 16th century. Cisterns and an ice house have also been preserved.
With the conquest of Granada, La Mota's defensive role came to an end, though it remained a centre of civil and religious power.
