Benatae
Benatae is a municipality in the province of Jaén that is located in the center of the Sierra de Segura. With 44.4 km2 of extension and 574 inhabitants, it is the smallest of the municipalities of this mountain range.
Its urban nucleus sits at the foot of Mount Peñalta. And its entire term is included in the Natural Park of the Sierra de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas.
The economic activity depends on the olive grove despite the fact that most of its term is forest. Tourism has not reached this area, so it draws attention for the tranquility and silence of its streets and the permanent contact with nature. It is a true luxury that contrasts with the pollution, noise and rush of large urban centers.
Its municipal term is divided into two enclaves: the main one, which concentrates most of the area of ??the term and where the municipal capital is located; and the Cuarto de la Cañada del Toril-Hornico, to the southeast of the previous one and already at the limit of the Siles term.
The municipality of Benatae has four urban centers: Benatae (with 522 inhabitants), Las Fuentes (41 inhabitants), Puente Honda (11 inhabitants) and La Sierra (0 inhabitants).
Of historical interest is the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, built between the 15th and 18th centuries, under the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The castle of Cardete, of Islamic origin, also stands out.
Information
Tourist area: Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas
Distance to the capital (km): 156
Altitude above sea level (m): 842
Extension (Km2):45
No. of Inhabitants:545
Demonym:Naveros
Postal Code: 23390
Culture:
Of its historical and monumental heritage, the following stand out:
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption: It is the most important of the buildings in Benatae. The temple responds to the sacred Levantine architecture, which could be due to the fact that, during the configuration period of its factory, it belonged to the kingdom of Murcia, a situation that lasted until the suppression of the Military Order of Santiago. Construction began in the 15th century and was completed in the 17th century, which led to the existence of architectural elements of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The façade, next to the epistle, is made of ashlar masonry, with a semicircular arch with convex molding running along the intrados. It is framed in an alfiz that rests in Gothic moldings. The irregular ashlar tower has a characteristic shape: it is quadrangular and three times as long as it is wide, with holes at the ends for the bells. The floor plan has a central nave in the shape of a rectangle divided into three sections. The presbytery appears behind a pointed main arch. The wooden altarpiece is organized in three streets and in the central one there is the image of the Immaculate in a niche.
Cardete Castle: In Islamic times, Benatae would have as a refuge the nearby Cardete fortress. The enclosure is an irregular trapezoidal construction, with a trun ...
Culture:
Of its historical and monumental heritage, the following stand out:
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption: It is the most important of the buildings in Benatae. The temple responds to the sacred Levantine architecture, which could be due to the fact that, during the configuration period of its factory, it belonged to the kingdom of Murcia, a situation that lasted until the suppression of the Military Order of Santiago. Construction began in the 15th century and was completed in the 17th century, which led to the existence of architectural elements of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The façade, next to the epistle, is made of ashlar masonry, with a semicircular arch with convex molding running along the intrados. It is framed in an alfiz that rests in Gothic moldings. The irregular ashlar tower has a characteristic shape: it is quadrangular and three times as long as it is wide, with holes at the ends for the bells. The floor plan has a central nave in the shape of a rectangle divided into three sections. The presbytery appears behind a pointed main arch. The wooden altarpiece is organized in three streets and in the central one there is the image of the Immaculate in a niche.
Cardete Castle: In Islamic times, Benatae would have as a refuge the nearby Cardete fortress. The enclosure is an irregular trapezoidal construction, with a trun ...
Culture:
Of its historical and monumental heritage, the following stand out:
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption: It is the most important of the buildings in Benatae. The temple responds to the sacred Levantine architecture, which could be due to the fact that, during the configuration period of its factory, it belonged to the kingdom of Murcia, a situation that lasted until the suppression of the Military Order of Santiago. Construction began in the 15th century and was completed in the 17th century, which led to the existence of architectural elements of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The façade, next to the epistle, is made of ashlar masonry, with a semicircular arch with convex molding running along the intrados. It is framed in an alfiz that rests in Gothic moldings. The irregular ashlar tower has a characteristic shape: it is quadrangular and three times as long as it is wide, with holes at the ends for the bells. The floor plan has a central nave in the shape of a rectangle divided into three sections. The presbytery appears behind a pointed main arch. The wooden altarpiece is organized in three streets and in the central one there is the image of the Immaculate in a niche.
Cardete Castle: In Islamic times, Benatae would have as a refuge the nearby Cardete fortress. The enclosure is an irregular trapezoidal construction, with a truncated pyramidal tower on the shorter side that reaches 14 m. Tall. It was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1985.
Other moments: semicircular bullring, where in addition to the running of the bulls and bullfighting festivals, competitions of the characteristic game of the Sierra de Segura, mountain bowling, a hermitage consecrated to San Ginés and in its municipal term the Castillo de la Fuente, declared Asset of Cultural Interest.
Nature:
The two enclaves that make up the municipality of Benatae, have the following characteristics:
The main enclave, in which the urban nucleus of Benatae is located, is distributed in three well-differentiated areas from the point of view of relief, constituting strips with a SW - NE direction.
The westernmost strip is made up of the Oruña mountain range (1,152 m.), The central one the Guadalimar valley -main river in the municipality- and the eastern one the Peñalta massif (1,409 m.).
The lowest point is at 590 m., In the river Guadalimar, on the border with the municipality of La Puerta de Segura.
The South Eastern enclave, which is called Cuarto de la Cañada del Toril - Hornico, has a small area in an area of ??steep relief in the interior of the mountain range.
Its highest point is El Púlpito peak (1,589 m.), And the lowest is at 1,250 m. on the bed of the El Tejuelo stream, on the border with the Siles municipal area and with extraordinary views of the Natural Park.
The high mountain area is populated by salgareño or laricio pine, junipers, maples, holly and thorns; In the valley areas, it is home to olive groves and holm oaks, as well as black pine, and in the intermediate area there are dense pine forests and pastures. Along the riverbed and gallery forests develop: poplars, birches, willows ... which add a note of color to the landscape with the passing of the seasons, especially during autumn.
The fauna is also very varied, large mammals such as wild boar, mouflon, deer, fallow deer and mountain goat are frequently observed in the forests; small mammals such as the dormouse, otter, genet and common squirrel. Also highlight the birdlife that lives in the olive grove. Among the species that live continuously we find: the verdure and the greenfinch in the spring and summer months, and in winter the blackcap, the robin and the song thrush. Among the reptiles, the Valverde lizard stands out, exclusive to the area, and among the fish the common trout stands out.
Special mention deserve some natural places such as:
Cerro de San Miguel: It is a recreational area 1.5 km. from the town center, and from which we will get magnificent views of the Sierra de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park.
It has one of the many fountains that dot the municipality.
Peñalta: This is the highest point of the main enclave of the municipality (1,412 m.). In this place there is a fire guardhouse and from which we will obtain fantastic views of the Natural Park.
Puente Honda: It is a recreational area that is located in the hamlet of Puente Honda. It is 4 km. from the town of Benatae, and the Sierra de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park is worth observing from this vantage point.
Leisure, parties and shows:
The naberos look forward to the arrival of the following festivals:
Leisure, parties and shows:
The naberos look forward to the arrival of the following festivals:
- San Ginés de la Jara: The patron saint's festival, San Ginés de la Jara, the major festival of Benatae, and is celebrated from August 22 to 25. The patron is regarded as the patron saint who cured the herniated. Traditional are the confinements of cows, which are run through the streets of the town. Heifers were brought from Orcera to the disappeared hermitage of San Ginés, located at the entrance to the town. It was preceded by the banner of the brotherhood that ran before them.
- San Marcos: celebrated on April 25, a local festival of the municipality. This day the traditional hornazos are consumed and people usually go to the field to "scare the devil away." The naberos spend the day in the place called “Fuentemarcos” (The source of San Marcos).
- In the eve of some celebrations such as San Antón, La Candelaria and San Blas.
- Gastronomy:
- The gastronomy of Benatae has a common dish that accompanies many of its dishes, it is called "brave broth". The basic preparation of this dish consists of cooking some dried hot peppers and then soaking the spoon of the food that you want to accompany with this broth.
- It is a particularly suitable accompaniment for flour or corn crumbs, Serrano Galianos, gachas migas, or breadcrumbs that are usually accompanied by fried chorizo, lump loin, torreznos and fried dried peppers.
A typical dish of the locality is the “rags”, in which the very thin strips of flour dough are cooked in a stew of potatoes, tomato, pepper, onion, garlic and sweet paprika, with a touch of mint.
The rags can carry hare or cod if they are made for the season of Lent.
At Easter, the "panetes" accompany the cod vigil stew. The “panetes” are made from breadcrumbs, finely chopped parsley, saffron threads, garlic, pepper, salt and beaten egg. With all this, a dough is made that, being spooned into very hot oil, will gradually brown and form the "pans".
The naberos have not lost the custom, with all the Pitanceros rites, of the slaughter of the pig, and there are many families that make their own sausages that they will give a good account of the rest of the year.
History:
It is unknown when the first occupation in the Benatae territory took place, although it cannot be ruled out that in very old phases of the Stone Age there had been some settlement. In the Águila cave, in the Los Lagartos farmhouse, located almost a thousand meters above sea level, since some microliths, small pieces of flint, come from there.
Ceramic remains corresponding to the end of the Iberian period have been found in the Cerro del Castillo del Cortijo de las Fuentes. Surely, as in other areas of the Guadalimar valley, the so-called “Roman villae”, whose inhabitants lived off the cultivation of the land, spread to one and the other side of the river.
In Islamic times it must have been a village and its name seems to be of Arab or Berber origin.
Like the village of Benatae, there would be others that had the Cardete castle as a refuge, constituting a regional district, an organizational structure that became general in Al-Andalus.
Although Benatae does not appear mentioned in the towns conquered by Fernando III, it must have been occupied between 1226 and 1242, at the same time as most of the Sierra de Segura. Later it would be yielded by the king to the Military Order of Santiago.
As of this date the population continued to grow, and in 1,415, King Juan II granted it the title of town.
In the following five centuries, the history of Benatae has been linked to the kingdom of Murcia, the Order of Santiago, the Encomienda Mayor de Castilla and the bishopric of Cartagena. The population of the town will increase until reaching 1,538 inhabitants in the year 1,950.
As of this date, the economic hardships that the region suffered during a good part of the Franco regime, and the emigration, are in the causes of the beginning of the depopulation that begins to notice.
The current economy is based on the agricultural orientation, in the cultivation of cereals, corn, hemp, wine and oil. Along with this, cattle raising, hunting and logging in the mountains are its productive references.
Source of information
