La Magdalena is a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

-style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located in the city of

Jaén Jaén may refer to: Places Peru *Jaén Province, Peru, a province in Cajamarca Region, Peru ** Jaén District, one of twelve districts of the province Jaén in Peru ***Jaén, Peru, a city in Peru, capital of the Jaén Province Philippines * Jaen ...

in the province of Jaén in the autonomous community of

Andalucia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It i ...

, Spain within the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaén The Diocese of Jaén () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the city of Jaén in the ecclesiastical province of Granada in Spain.mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

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 in 852. A vigorous and effective frontier warrior, he was also well known as a patron of the arts. Abd ar-Rahman was born in Toled ...

. The present bell-tower was the former

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

, putatively redesigned by Andrés de Vandelvira. 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 The Isabelline style, also called the Isabelline Gothic (), or Castilian late Gothic, was the dominant architectural style of the Crown of Castile during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of A ...

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 ** Jerônimo, a Brazilian indigen ...

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

References

Bibliography

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

See also

References

Bibliography