Baeza
Encyclopedia
Baeza is a town of approximately 16,200 inhabitants in Andalusia
, Spain
, in the province of Jaén, perched on a cliff in the Loma de Baeza, a mountain range between the river Guadalquivir on the south and its tributary the Guadalimar on the north. It is chiefly known today as having many of the best-preserved examples of Italian Renaissance architecture in Spain. UNESCO
added Baeza and Úbeda
to the World Heritage Sites list in 2003.
In the Middle Ages Baeza was a flourishing Moorish
city, said to contain 50,000 inhabitants, but it fell to the forces of Ferdinand III of Castile
in 1227. The Córdoba
and Úbeda
gates, and the arch of Baeza, are among the remains of its Moorish fortifications.
In the 16th century, Baeza and nearby Úbeda
grew rich from the production of textiles, and local nobles hired important architects, such as Andrés de Vandelvira
, to design new palaces, churches and public squares in the fashionable Italian style. The economy collapsed in the 17th century, which had the fortunate side effect of preserving Baeza's Renaissance architectural legacy, because few newer structures were built.
. It has a RENFE
rail station (Linares - Baeza) 15 km southwest on the Linares-Almeria railway and bus transportation from Granada
, Málaga
and Madrid
.
The nearest international airports are in Granada, 132 km south and Málaga, 241 km to the southwest.
. Also, two of the most important mystics and writers of the sixteenth century resided in Baeza, Saint John of Ávila and Saint John of the Cross. The modernist poet Antonio Machado
worked as a teacher in Baeza from 1912 until 1919, and it is believed that his most notable prose work, Juan de Mairena, was inspired by his experience there.
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, in the province of Jaén, perched on a cliff in the Loma de Baeza, a mountain range between the river Guadalquivir on the south and its tributary the Guadalimar on the north. It is chiefly known today as having many of the best-preserved examples of Italian Renaissance architecture in Spain. UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
added Baeza and Úbeda
Úbeda
Úbeda is a town in the province of Jaén in Spain's autonomous community of Andalusia, with some 35,600 inhabitants. Both this city and the neighboring city of Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the early 16th century resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces...
to the World Heritage Sites list in 2003.
History
The town has existed since Roman times, when it was called Beatia.In the Middle Ages Baeza was a flourishing Moorish
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
city, said to contain 50,000 inhabitants, but it fell to the forces of Ferdinand III of Castile
Ferdinand III of Castile
Saint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the...
in 1227. The Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
and Úbeda
Úbeda
Úbeda is a town in the province of Jaén in Spain's autonomous community of Andalusia, with some 35,600 inhabitants. Both this city and the neighboring city of Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the early 16th century resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces...
gates, and the arch of Baeza, are among the remains of its Moorish fortifications.
In the 16th century, Baeza and nearby Úbeda
Úbeda
Úbeda is a town in the province of Jaén in Spain's autonomous community of Andalusia, with some 35,600 inhabitants. Both this city and the neighboring city of Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the early 16th century resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces...
grew rich from the production of textiles, and local nobles hired important architects, such as Andrés de Vandelvira
Andrés de Vandelvira
Andrés de Vandelvira was a Spanish architect, active mainly in Jaén, Uclés, Baeza, and Úbeda during the Renaissance. He was born in Andrés de Vandelvira (1509–1575) was a Spanish architect, active mainly in Jaén, Uclés, Baeza, and Úbeda during the Renaissance. He was born in Andrés de...
, to design new palaces, churches and public squares in the fashionable Italian style. The economy collapsed in the 17th century, which had the fortunate side effect of preserving Baeza's Renaissance architectural legacy, because few newer structures were built.
Main sights
Baeza's sights include:- Town Hall (Ajuntamiento), a PlateresquePlateresquePlateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" , was an artistic movement, especially architectural, traditionally held to be exclusive to Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in the late 15th century, and spread over the next two centuries...
building formed by two separate structures united by an arch. - the university, established in 1538, which is now a summer school for the University of Granada
- Cathedral of Santa María, built above a former Moorish mosque. It was converted to the Christian rite by King Alfonso VII of Castile in 1147. After another period as a mosque, it was restored to Christianity in 1227 by Ferdinand III of CastileFerdinand III of CastileSaint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the...
. The most ancient part of the edifice are the lower part of the bell tower, of cubic shape, and three islamic arches, now hidden. The current edifice was built from 1529, in Gothic style, including a nave and two aisles, pilasters and crossed vaults. The tower was remade in 1549 and the Chapel of St. Michal was added in 1560. The whole construction was completed by Andrés de Vandelvira, who added Renaissance elements. - Arco de Villalar, erected to celebrate battle of VillalarBattle of VillalarThe Battle of Villalar was a battle in the Revolt of the Comuneros fought on April 23, 1521 near the town of Villalar in Valladolid province, Spain. The royalist supporters of King Charles I won a crushing victory over the comuneros rebels. Three of the most important rebel leaders were...
in 1521 - RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church of Santa Cruz. It has a nave and two aisles, with a semicircular apse; one of the side walls include a Visigothic arch. - Palacio de Jabalquinto. The entrance gate is sided by two cylindrical pilasters with Plateresque capitals with mocárabeMocárabeMocárabe, Honeycomb work, or Stalactite work is an ornamental design used in certain types of Islamic architecture that spread throughout the Islamic world in the 12th century. The design consists of a complex array of vertical prisms resembling stalactites...
s, and between them are decorations in the same style. In the interior are a Renaissance courtyard and a Baroque staircase. - squares of Plaza de España and the Paseo de la Constitucíon
- Chapel of St. Francis, founded in 1538. It is an unfinished Renaissance building.
- Gothic church of St. Paul, with a Renaissance portal. It has a nave and two aisles with Gothic-style chapels. Pablo de OlavidePablo de OlavidePablo de Olavide y Jáuregui was a Spanish politician, lawyer and writer.He was born in a rich and influential creole Liman family and studied at the San Marcos University of Lima. He hold the doctorate in Theology in 1740 and the degree of Law in 1742...
is buried here. - Ubeda Gate, of which only one of the three original arcades has remained.
- Fountain of St. Mary (1564)
- Fountain of the Lions, coming from the Iberian-Roman city of CástuloCastuloCastulo was an Iberian town located in the Andalusian province of Jaén, in south-central Spain. Evidence of human presence since the Neolithic period has been found there. Oretans was the name of the Iberian tribe which settled in the vicinity in the north of the Guadalquivir River beginning in...
. It has been suggested that it could represent Himilce, wife of the Carthaginian general Hannibal. - Seminary of St. Philip Neri (1660)
Transportation
Baeza is 327 km by highway south of MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. It has a RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
rail station (Linares - Baeza) 15 km southwest on the Linares-Almeria railway and bus transportation from Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
The nearest international airports are in Granada, 132 km south and Málaga, 241 km to the southwest.
Notable people
Baeza was the birthplace of the sculptor and painter Gaspar BecerraGaspar Becerra
Gaspar Becerra was a Spanish painter and sculptor.-Biography:He was born at Baeza in Andalusia. He studied at Rome, it is said under Michelangelo, and assisted Giorgio Vasari in painting the hall of the Palazzo della Cancelleria. He also contributed to the anatomical plates of Juan Valverde de...
. Also, two of the most important mystics and writers of the sixteenth century resided in Baeza, Saint John of Ávila and Saint John of the Cross. The modernist poet Antonio Machado
Antonio Machado
Antonio Cipriano José María y Francisco de Santa Ana Machado y Ruiz, known as Antonio Machado was a Spanish poet and one of the leading figures of the Spanish literary movement known as the Generation of '98....
worked as a teacher in Baeza from 1912 until 1919, and it is believed that his most notable prose work, Juan de Mairena, was inspired by his experience there.
External links
- Romanesque church at Baeza
- BaezaForos, the most updated website about Baeza, including a forum
- Information about the city of Baeza in Jaen
- Ubeda and Baeza homepage
- Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza (UN World Heritage website)
- Federico Garcia-Lorca Granada-Jaen Airport
- Malaga Airport
- Image Gallery Baeza
- Baeza eGuide
- Town Corporation
- ebaeza.com Baeza shopping guide, tourism, history, monuments...