Espeluy Castle is located in Jaén, the Municipality that gives it its name, on the Guadalquivir and Guadalimar rivers. Its origin dates back to the Caliphate era, with a Muslim castle existing on this site. Since then it was owned in the year 1224 by Fernando III, leaving the area under the jurisdiction of the Crown, in 1321 a new castle was built and in 1469 it would be taken by the troops of Don Miguel Lucas de Iranzo and at the end of the 18th century, beginning of from the 19th century, it was built as a Christian castle.
The total area of the plot is 4,800m2 of which 3,720m2 are for stables, corrals and common areas and 1,120m2 correspond to the building. The part of the house is made up of two floors: in the upper part composed of seven rooms and seven bathrooms and in the lower part we find a cellar, a large stable, warehouses and a house for the castle guard.
Its most genuine element is its magnificent Tower of Homage, with a square floor plan, inside which two superimposed rooms covered by barrel vaults are preserved. The access door and the wall that surrounds the castle is an addition to the current onesowners. It was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1985.
References:The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by the Athenian magnate Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped theater with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof made of expensive cedar of Lebanon timber. It was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000. It lasted intact until it was destroyed and left in ruins by the Heruli in 267 AD.
The audience stands and the orchestra (stage) were restored using Pentelic marble in the 1950s. Since then it has been the main venue of the Athens Festival, which runs from May through October each year, featuring a variety of acclaimed Greek as well as International performances.