Plaza First of May

Úbeda's Plaza 1st of May was its market square going back at least to the Moors souk (market). This

quite large space has at least two important buildings, Saint Paul's church (inset in upper right above) and its first town hall (inset lower left). It's still called Market Square by Úbedeños and was once the site of bullfights and Inquisition "confessions."

Unfortunately, the square was closed for construction at our visit. The band shell (pictured right) was in place but the plaza's statue of St. John of the Cross was probably away getting restored. Not to worry, several more statues of this famous barefoot Carmelite were within rosary distance of the square.

St Paul Church

Most of the north side of this large plaza is anchored by the primarily Gothic Iglesia de San Pablo. Note below the upper gallery for watching what goes on in the plaza. And above its Romanesque apse, a most un-Gothic hexagonal tower sporting a bishop's coat-of-arms, perhaps that of Don Alonso Suárez de la Fuente del Sauce who raised the money for extensive renovations starting in the early 1500s -- a time when the secular nobles were trying to create Renaissances palaces and the Bishops were generally staying with their Gothic predilection.




Dog’s breakfast anyong? Given its age, St. Paul's is primarily Gothic with even some late Romanesque features. Given that work continued into the 18th century, other styles have made their way into its stones. The original church replaced one of theMoor's mosques which itself may have replaced an early Visigoth church. Pretty much all of that was destroyed during the 14th century civil war. The Gothic base we see here rose sometime after 1368.


Gothic churches’ main doors are usually on the west side but here (picture below) San Pablo faces what was the town’s main plaza to its south. This is a magnificent portal added in the 16th century when most of the town was going Renaissance.





The tympanum (detail below left) shows green traces of its original polychromy (yes, Gothic masons painted their stone). Here symmetric angels bring Mary to God the Father who will crown her. Two of the funding bishops coats-of-arms frame the lower angels. Note the stonework at the bottom of this picture – good, but not as tight as what Vandelvira have done. (Vandelvira did provide some of the interior touches for St. Paul’s, however.)


Below Mary  under a stone canopy hangs the church's namesake, St. Paul, in Gothic rigidity (pictured above right).


Just to the west of the main portal appears this large recess (above left)with Renaissance moldings called "El Tabladillo" holding what looks to be a statue of St. Francis in pretty bad shape. This apparently served as a safe viewing point during bullfights held in the square opposite. As patron saint of animals, would Francis approve? At center we see the west door with its double row of arches; it's the oldest entrance and shows Romanesque traces. At right is an interesting coat-of-arms we found on the exterior of San Pablo near the north door. On diagonal axes we seem to have a pig under a tree alternating with an exuberant bird of prey holding what may be a lamb in his talons. Not what we'd expect on a church. It may be the crest of Cardinal Don Esteban Gabriel Medina (but usually cleric's crests are capped by a hat).

Unfortunately, the triple-naved interior of San Pablo was closed on our Sunday visit. Inside we missed some noted local Renaissance grillwork, a chapel by Vandelvira, and what appear to be gilded floats for religious processions. However, the town council provides a 360-degree video of the spacious Gothic interior for those with the skills and time to do a little downloading.  Click here to access the zipped files.  

The old town hall

The little faded jewel of a building shown above was Úbeda's first town hall and is today known as the Palacio Antiguas Casas Consistoriales. Started before Úbeda had its peak wealth, it took most of the 1st half of the 16th century to raise construction funds. Here we see the double-loggia facade that faces the old market square with a Mirador gallery on the upper floor to allow the town's fathers to watch over market activity, festivals, and bullfights.

Corinthian columns hold up three large arches at bottom, while the six at top are Ionic. Missing is the saint in the niche at left, most likely San Miguel, the town's patron. At right is Saint John of the Cross, a temporarily local boy made very good. It had to be added during the first remodeling as John lived in the century AFTER this place was built. Below the niches the town’s coats-of-arms is sorely in need of restoration – the crowns inside of stars are barely visible.

Today Úbeda's Palacio Antiguas Casas Consistoriales is a music conservatory named after Maria de Molina, an Úbedeña who was Queen consort around 1300. Above is the south view with 5 arches -- and what appears to be a non-working sundial on the upper floor where two windows have been somewhat clumsily blocked off. From this angle, it’s obvious that the east façade was added on (starting in 1604). A close look at the tops of the Corinthian columns shows what may be the remains of arches leading outward from this building over what is today the street (also named after the Queen consort) which leads to the plaza with the newer city hall which is much plainer but in better shape. Unlike the impeccably restored buildings in the magnificent Plaza Vazquez de Molina, this Italian-Renaissance inspired building deserves a better restoration – maybe like the one the more attentive town gave the place during much of the 17th century

This steet takes us back to the city hall square and the rest of  town; before heading there, let's backtrack to explore some of the highlights of Úbeda eastern edge where the ancient defensive walls and their entrance gates still stand. Join us by clicking here.

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

Úbeda, Spain

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