La Magdalena is a

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 ...

-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 lette ...

church located in the city of Jaén in the province of Jaén in the autonomous community of Andalucia, Spain within the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaén The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaén ( la, Giennen(sis)) is a diocese in the city of Jaén, Spain, Jaén in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Granada, Granada in Spain.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, ...

that had been erected in 825 by

Abd ar-Rahman II Abd ar-Rahman II () (792–852) was the fourth ''Umayyad'' Emir of Córdoba in al-Andalus from 822 until his death. A vigorous and effective frontier warrior, he was also well known as a patron of the arts. Abd ar-Rahman was born in Toledo, Spai ...

. The present bell-tower was the former

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

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

. The pool in the cloister was used by Muslim worshipers prior to entering the building. Outside in the plaza is a pool with the statue of the ''Lizard of Jaén'' (Lagarto de Jaén), depicting a legendary monster of the area. The church a main nave and three aisles, separated by arches that are spanned by ribbed vaults. The portal has Isabelline Gothic decoration. The church includes a polychrome sculptural group depicting the ''Calvary'' attributed to Jacobo Florentino or

Jerónimo Quijano Jerónimo (European Portuguese and Spanish) or Jerônimo (Brazilian Portuguese) may refer to: * Jerónimo (name), a given or surname, Jerome in English ** Jeronimo (singer) (born 1990), Dutch pop singer and actor * Jeronimo (band), German band of ...

; a ''Christ of the Mercy'' (1593) by

Salvador de Cuéllar Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

; and a ''Kneeling Magdalen'' (1572) by

Mateo Medina Mateo may refer to: People ;Name * Mateo (given name) * Mateo (surname) ;People named Mateo * Mateo (singer) (born 1986), former stage name of American pop/R&B singer-songwriter Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Mateo'' (1937 film), a 1937 Arg ...

. The church has a number of 17th and 18th-century canvases. The main portal doors were carved in 1555.Magdalena Church
official site.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Magdalena, Jaen Roman Catholic churches in Andalusia 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain

See also

References