Culture

The historical heritage of Villatorres, due to the characteristics of its creation, is scattered throughout the three towns that make up the municipality. We will highlight the most interesting ones:

• Parish Church Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Villargordo (16th century), recently restored and which conserves the Renaissance façade and in its interior the Mudejar coffered ceiling of the choir stands out.

• Parish Church of San Francisco de Paula de Torrequebradilla, it has a nave with a gabled roof with Arabic tiles, a slightly sloping transept, a Latin cross floor plan, a dome with a four-sided roof on the outside and the belfry-belfry that marks the maximum height of the church.

• Santo Cristo de la Salud Chapel. The hermitage of Santa Ana was built outside the village in the 16th century with stones from the Iberian ruins of Maquiz, converted at the end of the 19th century into the Hermitage of Santo Cristo de la Salud. Its most interesting elements are the semicircular arched ashlar doorway and the single belfry.

• Palace of the Fernández de Córdoba family, which is located in Torrequebradilla. Its construction dates back to the 17th century and is divided into two sections, the upper one as a suntrap and the lower one for access through large semicircular arches. It is currently abandoned.

• Pillars, one of which is circular, where day labourers and donkeys refreshed themselves after long days of work in the fields. Other pylons were used for washing clothes.

• The Cerezo Moreno Museum, which represents the most valuable source of cultural wealth in the municipality, houses a large collection of works by the painter Francisco Cerezo: oil paintings from different periods (portraits, still lifes and landscapes), an exhibition of twelve pen drawings and a series of oil paintings on panel with scenes of local customs of the town of Segura de la Sierra. This Museum, due to its artistic value, has become a reference point for painting in the province of Jaén and throughout Andalusia.

• Church of Vados de Torralba, representative of post-war colonisation architecture. Its lateral stained glass windows, its crosses on the façade and its great tower, a symbol of the tradition of Vados de Torralba, are characteristic.

 
Nature

The relief is very gentle, reaching its highest point at Torrequebradilla, where it is 458 m. above sea level.

The impression we receive on first sight is that of an extensive plain with the mountain ranges of the Sierra de Andújar surrounding it.

 
Festivals and Events

Each of the urban centres that gave rise to Villatorres still preserve their fiestas and traditions. Of these, the following are worth mentioning:

Semana Santa (Holy Week): A total of seven brotherhoods walk the streets of Villargordo during Holy Week. This tradition dates back to the 16th century. It is worth highlighting the emotion of the processions as well as the high level of participation of the local residents.
Fiesta de las Flores, which takes place in May in honour of the patron saint of Villargordo, the Virgen del Amor Hermoso. The celebration includes a cultural week with a wide range of activities for all ages.

Descent and ascent to the Cristo de la Salud hermitage. This takes place on the 29th of July, and is a tradition that brings together many Villargordeños. The day before, on the 28th, the traditional "pesos" take place, where children and adults weigh themselves on a Roman scale and then donate an amount of money equivalent to the price of wheat of the same weight.

Lumbres de San Anton. Villargordo celebrates the eve of San Antón, on the 17th of January, the traditional "lumbres", with chorizos and morcillas (blood sausages) being eaten around them. The following day, the hermitage is circled to implore the saint's protection for domestic animals.

Festivity of San Marcos, celebrated on 25 April in Torrequebradilla, with the preparation of the traditional roscón (ring-shaped pastry).

Its folklore includes Christmas songs, saetas, threshing songs, carnival songs and dances, the best known of which is the "bolero antiguo", danced at olive auctions and weddings.

 
Gastronomy

The idiosyncrasy of each of the three localities merged in Villatorres is also felt in the gastronomy.

A cuisine in which the culinary customs of the Jaén countryside are present. Among the best known are:

• "Ajillo mulero", which was the food of gañanes who worked in the farmhouses. It is made with boiled potatoes, vinegar, salt, pepper and oil. Everything is beaten until it is mashed and then spread on bread.

• "Migas de harina', which are accompanied by a fritada of garlic, torreznos, chorizo, lomo de orza and choricero peppers.

• "Salpicón de melón', using green melons, which are cut into small pieces and a mixture of garlic, salt, peeled tomato, breadcrumbs, oil, vinegar and very cold water is added.

• "Pipirrana', to which, in addition to the ingredients of the 'pipirrana jiennense', the following is added.

• Pickled partridges

Nor can we forget the tasty and varied confectionery: Roscas de S. Marcos (Torrequebradilla), roscos del aguardiente, borrachuelos and alfajores for carnival. And for All Saints' Day, the "gachas dulces con tostones" (sweet porridge with toast), which on that day the leftover dough is used to cover the keyholes so that the souls in pain, who ask for a prayer to get out of Purgatory, cannot enter.

The best examples of the fantastic Villargordeña cuisine can be found in the two most famous restaurants in the municipality: Restaurante "El Tropezón" and Restaurante-Asador "El Recreo". Both are considered two of the best restaurants in the province of Jaén, with a well-deserved reputation at regional level.

 
History

Although the municipality of Villatorres was created by decree in 1975, remains of earlier civilisations have been found in the population centres of the merged localities.

In the hill of La Pedriza, remains of an Iberian-Roman enclosure were found. And during the Second Punic War, these territories were the scene of battles between the Carthaginians and the Romans.
During the Islamic domination, the population remained dispersed in farmhouses, and in times of danger they sought refuge in a fortified place, probably on the hill of La Pedriza.

Ferdinand III the Saint conquered Torrequebradilla in 1230, and it became part of the Order of Calatrava. And with the Catholic Monarchs it received the same charter as the town of Jaén, becoming part of the Lordship of D. Íñigo Fernández de Córdoba y Mendoza in the 17th century.

During the Modern Age, Villargordo was of great importance for livestock farming, not only because of the passage of transhumance cattle, but also because of the extensive areas dedicated to grazing.