Baeza

This article is about the town in Spain. For the settlement in Ecuador, see Baeza, Ecuador.

Baeza
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Baeza Location in Andalusia
Baeza Location in Spain
Coordinates: 37°59′N 3°28′W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Jaén
Comarca	La Loma
Judicial district	Baeza
Government
• Mayor	Leocadio Marín Rodríguez (PSOE)
Area
• Total	194.3 km2 (75 sq mi)
Elevation	769 m (2,523 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	16,253
• Density	83.6/km2 (216.6/sq mi)
Demonym	Baezanos
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	23440
Website	Official website

Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Country	Spain
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Reference	522
Region **	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	2003 (27th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO

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.

Santa Maria cathedral façade, designed by Andrés de Vandelvira.

Row of Renaissance palaces.

Narrow Streets in Baeza

History

The town has existed since Roman times, when it was called Beatia.

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.

Main sights

Baeza's sights include:

• Town Hall (Ajuntamiento), a Plateresque 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 Castile. 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 Villalar in 1521
• Romanesque 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 mocárabes, 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 Olavide 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 Cástulo. 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 Madrid. 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.

Notable people

Baeza was the birthplace of the sculptor and painter Gaspar Becerra. 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.

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...