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The Castillo del Moral was built by the Almoravids after they arrived in Lucena in 1148 AD, without ruling out the possibility of earlier foundations (Roman and Iberian).
Its location allowed for the defence of the Cora Cabra-Baena against the expansion of the Christian kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula. But in 1240, both the castle and the towns ended up being conquered by Ferdinand III of Castile. From then on, it was used as a significant frontier fortification.
The castle was donated to the Cabildo of Cordoba and the Order of Santiago, successively. In 1342, it was acquired by Leonor de Guzmán (mistress of King Alfonso XI). She had already taken possession of the castle of Cabra (where her illegitimate son with this monarch and future Henry II was born). After Leonor's death, the castle returned to the Crown. Henry II donated it in 1371 to Juan Martínez de Argote, who four years later gave it to his daughter María Alfonso de Argote (who married Martín Fernández de Córdoba, keeper of the Donceles).
Indeed, the branch of the Fernández de Córdoba as keepers of the Donceles played a significant role in the war against the Nasrid kingdom of Granada. It was in the Battle of Lucena that took place in 1483 when Boabdil, the last sultan, was captured and imprisoned in the Castillo del Moral. With Granada in the hands of the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, the castle shifted to a domestic role and became the residence of the Marquises of Comares and keeper of the Donceles. This property was not regained by the monarchy until 1767.
The building underwent modifications in the 17th century, with the addition of a garden and adjoining stables; although both were destroyed in the 1970s for the construction of the Correos y Telégrafos building. The acquisition of the castle by the Lucena City Council was in 1926, in exchange for nearly 40,000 pesetas paid to the Dukes of Híjar.
In 1931 it was declared a Site of Cultural Interest. Fifteen years later, the parts added by Luis Ramón Folch de Aragón in the 17th century were removed, as these parts affected its original defensive appearance.
In 1984, restoration efforts on the property began. Some areas were covered to provide connectivity through the parade ground, which began being used for public events two years later. In 1989, the Moral tower was consolidated and in 1997, the mural lighting of the building was installed.
Later, in 2001, it was adapted to house the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum of Lucena. Its opening, featuring two rooms, was inaugurated on 6 December of that year. A year later, it had six rooms open to the public. On 28 February 2003, the Evolution of Man and Three Cultures rooms were inaugurated. On the International Museum Day of that year (9 May), the last two rooms were unveiled; the museum now consists of the ten rooms that visitors can see today.
Among the notable pieces of this museum are those from the Cueva del Ángel.
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The Jewish necropolis of Lucena is the largest and best-preserved funerary site of this culture in Europe. It covers a total area of over 3,700 square metres.
It was discovered on 20 October 2006, when the new Ronda Sur was being constructed in Lucena. The discovery was entirely by chance, as a local citizen was walking his dog on the Cerro Hacho, which had a human femur in its mouth. The police and the municipal archaeologist were notified and it was confirmed that the bone came from a Jewish cemetery dating between the year 1000 and 1050. At that time, Lucena was known as Elí Hoshaná, the "Pearl of Sefarad". These were times of great Jewish prosperity in the city.
In total, 346 graves were discovered. Of these, 196 contained the remains of the deceased, oriented towards Jerusalem. One of them was a man who measured between 2 and 2.20 metres tall, possibly suffering from gigantism. The University of Granada studied these remains. Among the archaeological finds was one of the few Jewish tombstones found in the Iberian Peninsula. Its inscriptions were analysed by Dr. Jordi Casanovas Miró, a scholar of Semitic Philology. Today, this tombstone (dating from the 8th and 9th centuries) can be seen at the Lucena Interpretation Centre.
The remains from the graves were exhumed, however, the Jewish community protested. Finally, in December 2011, it was decided to reinter these remains according to Jewish ritual, with the support of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain. The area occupied by the necropolis thus remains a sacred place.
Later, preparations began to open the site to the public. The perimeter of the area was fenced in. A Wailing Wall was built. Information panels about the Sephardic community in Spain and Lucena, and the Talmudic school, were also installed.
Researchers identified three types of graves and two subtypes:
Four types of graves were recreated according to the different burial methods discovered.
On 27 September 2013, the necropolis was opened to the public, being one of the few that can be visited, along with those of Plasencia and Segovia.
Thanks to the discovery of this necropolis and its enhancement, Lucena belongs to the Network of Jewish Quarters of Spain.
