Frailes is a municipality in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

province of Jaén, autonomous community of

Andalucia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It i ...

, with a total area of 41.37 km2, a population of 1551 inhabitants in 2024 ( INE figures) and a population density of 43.41 inhab/ km2. It was immortalised by the British writer, Michael Jacobs, in his 2003 book, ''The Factory of Light''.

Geography

Frailes is located 89 km south of the capital city, Jaén. The village is 55k north of Granada, which tends to make the community look toward Granada for key services. At a height of 974 metres above sea level, Frailes municipal district includes the territories of los Bailadores, Los Baños, Los Barrancos, Cañada de Alcalá, Cañada de Nogueras, Cerrillo el Ciego, Majada Abrigada, El Nogueral, Las Parras, Puerto Blanco, Los Rosales y La Solana de la Parra. Frailes is located at the

Sierra Sur de Jaén The Sierra Sur de Jaén (Southern Range of Jaén) is a mountain range that is part of the central belt of the Baetic System, Andalusia, Spain. Its name derives from its location in the southwestern part of Jaén Province. The highest summit in ...

and its territory comprises primarily mountain ranges.

History

The origins of this municipality date back to pre-history, when the conquerors from

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

were present. The remains of

Terra Sigillata Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface Slip (ceramics), slips made ...

attest to this . During the Spanish

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

era, there are few records of the existence of the Islamic presence in Frailes. Nevertheless, emanating from the 16th century we have evidence of the Siege of Frailes: on 15 August 1341,

Alfonso XI Alfonso XI (11 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...

conquered

Alcalá la Real Alcalá la Real is a city in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2024 INE figures, the city had a population of 21,581. Geography Alcalá la Real is situated from the provincial capital, Jaén, and from Granada, on the slopes of L ...

, of which

alfoz Alfoz () is a municipality in the province of Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It is in the comarca of A Mariña Central. It borders the municipalities of Foz, Mondoñedo, Abadín and O Valadouro. The population in 200 ...

(a group of villages) belonged to Alfraylas, so from then on was incorporated to Castille. During the middle of the 16th century, the hermitage (small chapel) of Santa Lucia was built next to the first

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

settlements in Frailes, partly, with the help of the contribution of Pedro de Valencia. In 1621, the surroundings of the hermitage of Santa Lucia was named Huerta de Santa Lucía, where the ongoing expansion of settlements took place. At the end of the 18th century, the hermitage became a parish church. Hence it also became the centre of the village. In the 19th century Frailes developed as fashionable destination due to the establishment of a spa resort at Ardales at the gateway of the village. During the early part of the 20th century, the village enjoyed times of splendour, yet after the Spanish

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and the exodus of a great part of the rural population to the cities, Frailes' population halved to 2,000 inhabitants.

Gastronomy

Frailes' gastronomy is marked by the rural character it possesses. There's a remarkable presence of pork dishes and the traditional

blood sausage A blood sausage is a sausage filled with blood that is cooked or dried and mixed with a filler until it is thick enough to solidify when cooled. Most commonly, the blood of pigs, sheep, lamb, cow, chicken, or goose is used. In Europe and the ...

chorizo ''Chorizo'' ( , ; ; see #Names, below) is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite differe ...

salchichón ''Salchichón'' is a Spanish summer sausage that is made by smoking, drying, cooking, or some combination.beans stew, ropavieja,

migas Migas (, ) ("crumbs" in English language, English) is a dish traditionally made from stale bread and other ingredients in Spanish cuisine, Spanish and Portuguese cuisines. Originally introduced by shepherds, migas are very popular across the Ibe ...

encebollado Encebollado ( Spanish: ''onionized'', participle of “encebollar” ''to onionize/to make in onions'') is an onion-dressed fish stew from Ecuador, where it is regarded as a national dish. Although known throughout Ecuador, the dish is most pop ...

, and also collejas omelette or the remojón (salad with orange base). Among the village's desserts, the

mantas Mantas is a Lithuanian given name. People with the name include: * Mantas Adomėnas (born 1972), philosopher * Mantas Armalis (born 1992), professional ice hockey goaltender * Mantas Dilys (born 1984), triple jumper * Mantas Fridrikas (born 1988) ...

, borrachuelos, polvorones and the guindas en aguardiente are the most appreciated. Most meals are accompanied with local

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

, whose quality is remarkable and that is the reason why many cultural and gastronomical events are held every year.

Fiestas

* Fiesta del Vino.- During the first half of March, Frailes with this wine festival brings together culture and gastronomy, past and present. This tradition dates back to the 18th century, but it faces with modernity the 21st century. * Romería to the Virgen de la Cabeza hermitage.- on the last Sunday of April, this

Romeria Christianity has a strong tradition of pilgrimages, both to sites relevant to the New Testament narrative (especially in the Holy Land) and to sites associated with later saints or miracles. History Christian pilgrimages were first made to sit ...

to Hoya del Salobral is held to celebrate the day of Jaen's patron saint. * August festival.- A fair and much loved '

verbena ''Verbena'' (), also known as vervain or verveine, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 150 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the Americas ...

' is held in Mecedero to reinvigorate the population from the ardours of the Andalucian summer. * Festival in honour of San Pedro.- 29 June, held in Spring, to celebrate the day of Frailes' patron saint. * Festival in honour of Santa Lucía.- 13 December, this is the other patron saint of the municipality, she is the sight protector and to exalt her, a mass and a procession are held.

References

External links