Peñaflor Castle

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Peñaflor Castle is a defensive construction from the late Middle Ages. The existing remains date back to the Muslim and Christian periods (it is listed as a 12th-century Almohad construction). However, the site’s potential and the surface ceramics found appear to suggest the existence of a fortified building from earlier times.

The Castle is located at the southwest end of a small plateau, on the last foothills of the Sierra Morena, inside the town (opposite the archaeological site of the Roman city of Celti).

It is subject to heritage protection under the Generic Declaration of the Decree of 22 April 1949, and the Law 16/1985 on Spanish Historical Heritage. The Directorate-General for Cultural Assets of the Andalusian Government declared Peñaflor Castle a Cultural Heritage Site, listing the building in the General Catalogue of Andalusian Historical Heritage on 25 June 1985. In 1993, the Andalusian Government granted special recognition to the castles in Andalusia.

Centuries of utter neglect have resulted in the current state of the Castle. The built-up area has been reduced to 78 metres of poorly-preserved curtain walls (21 metres in the east, 33 metres in the west and 24 metres in the south), and total absence of towers, doors and windows that could help date the various renovations carried out during the Middle Ages. The compound has been used as housing, since at least the 17th century, when the Castle was no longer a place of defence. Today, there are houses both inside and outside the compound. It can be accessed via Plaza de Avenzoar towards Calle Castillo, which is already inside the fortress.

Labels

ACI (Asset of Cultural Interest)