Convento de San Francisco

Let's look at one last building -- actually a non-building, the ruins of one of Vandelvira's major works. Between earthquakes and the pillaging of Napoleon's troops, it's suffered greatly.



The church front (above right) seems to have held up with its lovely doorway (see below). Attached to it is the old convent with a lovely courtyard – all home to a guide-book recommended restaurant named after Jaen provinces’s most famous Renaissance architect.  Ironic that the building with Vandelvira’s name on it is attached to ruins.



Let's take a closer look at the relief above the main door. The center rectangle appears to have St. Francis praying (perhaps receiving the stigmata). The building in the right hand corner may be this very convent (pre Lisbon earthquake which was a magnitude Richter 9). The crests on either side are obviously royal.

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The backside is another story; here rising above the orange trees are arches of steel remind viewers where Vandelvira raised stone vaults.


Obviously there was not enough money to restore the church -- but at least they didn't tear it down. The shapes help give some idea of Vandelvira's overall design. His dome must have been spectacular. The arch at seen at the left (right picture) and in the picture below appears to lead into the nave and what's behind it is glassed. Guide books say it serves as an auditorium which would mean this area pictured was the crossing.

Oh, what a relief!

We weren't allowed near, but our telephoto lens caught sight of the pillars and various reliefs, now exposed to the weather 450 years after they were built.  Below would be the Renaissance ceiling of one of the three chapels in the apse.



The crossing (below) would be fairly narrow and we'd be looking here at the Gospel side altar at the transept.



The rectangular reliefs on each side appear to be of the same scene and commemorate the visit of the Magi to the just born Christ:

Et cetera

The town's tourist map suggests 51 stops. How many would have been on that map just before the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 wiped out most of this town? Fortunately enough freestanding buildings from the Renaissance days still stand such as Vandelvira’s Plateresque city hall shown in the background (and in 3 of the inserted pictures). The other palaces and churches helped make Baeza a UNESCO world heritage site starting in 2003 (with its sister city, Úbeda). Note one of the old defensive towers (upper right) incorporated into the modern city.

If too much ain't enough...

If you want to see more of our Baeza photos (without much in the way of captions) then

• click here for more cathedral pictures and/or  
• click here for more pictures of the Palacio de Jabalquinto.  

Thanks for viewing.

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Please join us in the following slide show to give Baeza the viewing it deserves by clicking here.

Baeza, Spain

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