Sabariego: Nature, Culture and Holiday Apartments

Sabariego lies between the Río San Juan and the Sierra de San Pedro. The village’s white houses stand out against the greenery of the olive groves.

Landscape

The recreational area on the Río San Juan is located at Puente Palomillas and is surrounded by extensive olive groves. The leisure area has drinking-water fountains, barbecue facilities, tables and seating. Access is via the JV-2236 from Sabariego towards La Rábita, as far as the junction with the N-432 between Granada and Badajoz.

The Puente Palomillas facility includes a car park and 18 tables, two of which are suitable for people with reduced mobility. The facility is temporarily out of service. Seasonal fishing for trout and barbel is possible in the Río San Juan near the Puente Palomillas recreational area.

Another landscape feature is Charconales, with a large pool and a small cave inside it. The remains of the foundations of a medieval bridge have also been preserved on the Río San Juan.

Other places:La Puerta De Segura, Arjona, Huelma, Rus, Linares, Andújar, Ribera Alta, La Matea

Culture and History

The Fiesta del Palo takes place in Sabariego on 1 and 2 May. It has considerable ethnographic value. It is regarded as the counterpart to Sabariego’s local feria. It includes processions with San Pedro and the Inmaculada, dancing and communal meals. The Fiesta del Palo procession has taken place every year for more than a century.

A procession in honour of San Pedro sets out in Sabariego from the Church of the Inmaculada Concepción. In its historical form, the Fiesta del Palo included a pole-climbing contest in which participants tried to reach hams and sausages. Originally, a tree was felled and erected in the square for this purpose; various celebrations took place around it.

The origins of the Fiesta del Palo point to the influence of migrations from the north in the 19th century. Sabariego emerged from clusters of country houses on pastureland or farmland, rather than from an original village centre.

History and Trails

The nearby Torre de la Harina is a well-preserved circular tower almost 7 metres high and is protected as a monument with the status of a Bien de Interés Cultural. Given its historical context, it is considered part of the defensive belt built between the early and late Middle Ages. Torre de la Harina can be reached via a moderately difficult off-trail route through a private pine grove and offers panoramic views.

Sabariego is also associated with the artist Antonio Povedano Bermúdez, who was born in 1918 in Sabariego (Alcaudete), Jaén.

Trails and Festivals

On 13 June, a festival in honour of San Antonio is celebrated at the Venta de San Antonio. The venta is located on the N-432 between Alcaudete and Alcalá la Real, directly at the junction with the road to La Rábita and El Sabariego.

The Cañón del Río San Juan, Sabariego route ends in Sabariego after descending towards the road and then continuing along the Colada de los Blancares.

To the main travel overview: Jaen.