The Baños Árabes, are the largest Moorish hammam surviving in Spain, and one of the main reasons, along with it's relative isolation, that I wanted to visit Jaen. Originally part of an eleventh century Moorish palace, the baths fell into disuse after the Reconquista. In the sixteenth century the Palacio de Villardompardo was built over them. They were rediscovered early last century and were restored in the 1980s. The various rooms (cold, tepid and hot) have fantastic brickwork ceilings with typical star- shaped windows, and pillars supporting typical horseshoe arches.
The Palacio now also contains the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares and the Museo Internacional de Arte Naïf, which form a complex with the banos. The Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares contains a fascinating folk history of the province on three floors using artefacts, clothing, toys, ceramics, photos and audiovisual aids. The Museo Internacional de Arte Naïf is the only museum of its kind in Spain. The museum displays works by Spanish and international artists with the star attraction being the thirty paintings by Navarran artist María Victoria Otano Lecumberri. I have posted my photos form these two museos as seperate posts. Suffice it to say that the complex is a fabulous (and free) place to visit. It even has a (unadvertised) bar on top with a fantastic roof terrace. Views follow!
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