The Assumption of the Virgin Cathedral (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ) is a

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 ide ...

-style,

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 let ...

cathedral located in Santa María Square, opposite the Town Hall and the Episcopal Palace, in the center of Jaén, region of

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost 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 "historical nationality". The ...

, Spain. , image = Catedral de Jaén desde el Castillo.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Aerial view of Jaén Cathedral. , location = Jaén,

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") , ...

, geo = , religious_affiliation =

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, rite = , consecration_year = 1660 , status = , functional_status = , heritage_designation = , leadership = , website = www.catedraldejaen.org , architect =

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 Albacete and died in Jaén. The church of Nuestra Señora de ...

Juan de Aranda Salazar
Eufrasio López de Rojas , architecture_type =

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 * Chri ...

, architecture_style =

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

Neoclassical , general_contractor = , facade_direction = , groundbreaking = 1249 , completed = 1724 , construction_cost = , specifications = , capacity = , length = , width = , width_nave = , height_max = , dome_quantity = , dome_height_outer = , dome_height_inner = , dome_dia_outer = , dome_dia_inner = , spire_quantity = , spire_height = , materials = , designation1 = , designation1_offname = , designation1_date = , designation1_number = , designation1_criteria = , designation1_type = , designation1_free1name = , designation1_free1value = , designation1_free2name = , designation1_free2value = Jaen PM 090887 E

The current cathedral was conceived in the

16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th centur ...

to replace a previous

15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. ...

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edifice. Construction lasted for several centuries, with the original idea maintained. Of significance are the

chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole commun ...

and sacristy, masterpieces of

and important examples of the

Spanish Renaissance The Spanish Renaissance was a movement in Spain, emerging from the Italian Renaissance in Italy during the 14th century, that spread to Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. This new focus in art, literature, quotes and science inspired ...

; the façade, built in the

style with sculptures by Pedro Roldán; and the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

, built in the Neoclassical style and known as one of the largest in

. Kept in the cathedral is a copy of the

Veil of Veronica The Veil of Veronica, or ( Latin for sweat-cloth), also known as the Vernicle and often called simply the Veronica, is a Christian relic consisting of a piece of cloth said to bear an image of the Holy Face of Jesus produced by other than hum ...

which probably dates from the 14th century, and originated in Siena. Acquired by Bishop Nicolás de Biedma, it is publicly displayed to the people every year on Good Friday and the Feast of the Assumption, as well as in a side chapel every Friday.

History

The site was once occupied by a

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, ...

, which was reconsecrated as a church dedicated to the

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

after

Ferdinand III of Castile Ferdinand III ( es, Fernando, link=no; 1199/120130 May 1252), called the Saint (''el Santo''), was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguel ...

took Jaén in 1246. It was damaged and rebuilt on numerous occasions since until the 16th century, when the current edifice began construction. Andrés de Vandelvira - Jaén

Several architects were involved in building the cathedral,

being the most important one. The distinctive façade, designed by Eufrasio López de Rojas, only began construction in 1660, after the cathedral itself was already consecrated; further works involving interior decoration and the chapels would only conclude in 1724. In addition, consolidation works were necessary to the north façade after the

Lisbon earthquake of 1755 The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination with ...

, which also led to the construction of the

Sagrario ''Sanctuary'' (Spanish:''Sagrario'') is a 1933 Mexican drama film directed by Ramón Peón and starring Ramón Pereda, Adriana Lamar and Julio Villarreal.Balderston, Gonzalez & Lopez p.1080 Cast * Ramón Pereda as Dr. Horacio Rueda * Adria ...

there. The young

Francisco Guerrero Francisco Guerrero is the name of: *Francisco Guerrero (composer) (1528–1599), Spanish composer of the Renaissance *Francisco Guerrero (politician) (1811–1851), Alcalde of San Francisco *Francisco Guerrero Marín (1951–1997), Spanish composer ...

was the ''maestro de capilla'' of Jaén Cathedral around 1545. In 2008, the procedure for the cathedral of Jaén to be declared a

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 ...

, considering that it served as a model for the construction of other cathedrals in

and the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

. On 27 January 2012 the «Jaén Cathedral (extension of the Renaissance monumental complex of Úbeda and Baeza)» was inscribed on the Spanish Indicative List of

s, in the category of cultural property (No. ref 5667).

Church of the Sagrario

The Church of the Sagrario (

: ) is a building attached to the north facade of the cathedral, made due to the unevenness and damage caused by the

. The project for this work was designed by the Madrid architect Ventura Rodríguez in 1764 and executed by his nephew Manuel Martín Rodríguez. It was consecrated on March 22, 1801.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaen Cathedral 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Conversion of non-Christian religious buildings and structures into churches Renaissance architecture in Andalusia Roman Catholic cathedrals in Andalusia Roman Catholic churches in Andalusia Former mosques in Spain Buildings and structures in Jaén, Spain