Castle of Jerez de los Caballeros, Medieval fortress in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain.

The Castle of Jerez de los Caballeros is a medieval fortress with a five-sided layout, fortified walls, and a Gothic tower that rises above an inner courtyard. The courtyard holds a 15th-century chapel, showing how faith and defense were linked at this site.

The structure was built in the 13th century by the Templars, who used it as a strategic post during the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. It later passed to other military orders who modified it as political conditions changed.

The castle grounds now hold a garden where most of the fortress buildings once stood; only a small 15th-century chapel and a cistern remain. The enclosure served as the town's food market until 1950, a use visitors would not expect of a defensive castle.

The castle occupies the western end of the hilltop, where the terrain is steepest, so the approach from the town climbs through the old walled enclosure. The interior is largely a garden; only a small 15th-century chapel and a cistern remain, and the battlements have been restored in modern times.

The tower holds a rare window with double Gothic arches that shows the skilled craftsmanship of its era. Beneath the foundations lie traces of inhabitants from many centuries, from Phoenician traders to medieval knights.