Iznatoraf

Iznatoraf is one of four towns — alongside Villacarrillo, Villanueva del Arzobispo, and Sorihuela del Guadalimar — that give their collective name to the surrounding sierras. Settlement here goes back to the third millennium BC, when the site served as a control point for routes leading to the mining districts of Sierra Morena. People continued to live here through the Iberian period, probably as a small watchtower settlement, but the absence of Roman remains suggests the place was abandoned before being resettled under Islamic rule. The Arabic name itself reflects this period: "hisn" means castle or fortification, and walls were built on the hilltop to defend the town.

Unlike many places in the province, Iznatoraf was not taken by force during the Reconquista. Fernando III negotiated with its inhabitants, who handed over the fortress peacefully. The town was then resettled and granted the Fuero de Cuenca. Notably, it was declared royal land — not handed over to a lord, a military order, or the Church — a distinction that set it apart. This arrangement did not last long: in 1252 Alfonso X transferred it to the Archbishopric of Toledo, making it one of the first towns of the Adelantamiento de Cazorla, alongside Cazorla and Quesada.

As the Reconquista pushed further south, Iznatoraf's strategic importance faded but its role as an economic centre grew. The town outgrew its walls, and settlement spread to the plain below. The surrounding villages expanded in turn: La Moraleja became a town — Villanueva del Arzobispo — in 1396, and in 1450 Archbishop Alfonso Carrillo granted independence to Torre de Mingo Priego, which took his name to become Villacarrillo. The archbishopric reinforced Iznatoraf's walls and built a castle, now gone, that functioned more as a residence than a military fortification. By the mid-19th century, the writer Madoz noted the town's olive oil production and its oil mills. More recently, in August 2005, a major wildfire burned through more than 5,000 hectares of the natural park, severely affecting the outlying area of Bardazoso.

The old quarter of Iznatoraf was declared a protected historic ensemble on 15 May 2012. Its streets are too narrow for cars, and the layout — winding lanes, medieval houses decorated with flowers and pots — still reflects the Islamic urban plan of the original medina. The remains of the Arab fortress that gives the town its name are still visible.

The parish church of the Asunción has deep roots: a church on this site is documented as early as 1311, and it is likely that this was originally the main mosque of the Muslim medina, consecrated after the conquest by Bishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada and Fernando III. The current building dates from the late 16th century, with construction running from 1583 to 1591 and finishing touches completed in 1602. It was designed by Alonso Barba, a student of Andrés de Vandelvira, and built using white stone from nearby Sorihuela del Guadalimar and pine timber from the Sierra de Segura. Felipe II himself contributed to the construction costs.

The interior is a hall church of three naves divided by four solid pillars, with the central nave wider than the others. The vaulting — a mix of sail vaults and groin vaults — carries fine Mannerist decoration that marks the transition from Renaissance to Baroque. The main chapel is covered by a half-orange dome on pendentives bearing the coat of arms of the Bishop of Jaén, Sancho Dávila Toledo. The Baroque choir stalls at the west end of the church are considered among the finest in the province. The sacristy features drawer cabinets associated with Esteban Jamete, along with 16th-century vestments and eucharistic vessels.

Attached to the church is the chapel of the Santísimo Cristo de la Vera-Cruz, built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its plan is a Latin cross, and the camarín behind the altar is covered by a dome decorated with figures of the four evangelists in a Rococo style. The image of the patron — a crucified Christ with a canopy, bells, and representations of the sun and moon — arrived from Madrid in 1940, replacing an earlier figure destroyed during the Civil War.