The Former Cathedral of Baeza ( es, Catedral de Baeza), or in full the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin of Baeza ( es, Catedral de la Asunción de la Virgen) (?formerly Catedral de la Natividad de Nuestra Señora de Baeza), is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

in Baeza,

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

, southern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The cathedral is located in the Plaza de Santa Maria.

History

Baeza Catedral de la Natividad de Nuestra Señora nave central

It was the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baeza, which has a Visigothic period, was suppressed after some time under Moorish rule and was shortly restored after the Reconquista under the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th centu ...

in the thirteenth century, but suppressed for good, never again to regain (co-)cathedral status. The site, like the land, alternated between

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

and church during 12th and 13th centuries. The

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

still maintains

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

tracery, but in the 16th-century a major reconstruction by

Andrés de Vandelvira Andrés de Vandelvira (1509–1575) was a Spanish architect, active mainly in Jaén, Uclés, Baeza, and Úbeda during the Renaissance. He was born in Alcaraz, in the province of Province of Albacete, Albacete and died in Jaén. The church ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

-style created the present church. The construction of the cathedral finally ended in 1593, shortly after the death of Andrés de Vandelvira. The church forms part of a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

with other monuments in Baeza and in the nearby city of

Úbeda Úbeda (; from Iberian ''Ibiut'') is a town in the province of Jaén in Spain's autonomous community of Andalusia, with 34,733 (data 2017) inhabitants. Both this city and the neighbouring city of Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the ...

. The cathedral was one of 100 nominees to be voted as the

12 Treasures of Spain The 12 Treasures of Spain ( es, 12 Tesoros de España) was a project that selected the purported "Twelve Treasures of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain". The contest was conducted by broadcasters Antena 3 (Spain), Antena 3 and Cadena COPE, COPE. The fin ...

in 2007. It's also listed among the Shrines in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic - former cathedral, with Google satellite photo/map

Baeza Cathedral Official Website
{{Authority control 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Roman Catholic cathedrals in Andalusia Baeza Gothic architecture in Andalusia Renaissance architecture in Andalusia