Santa Maria Church.
Baeza is tiny, compact and provincial with a kind
of perpetual Sunday air about it. At its heart is the combined Plaza
Mayor and the paseo which is flanked by pavement cafes but delightfully
low key and atmospheric. The Plaza de Leones is
a particularly attractive cobbled square enclosed by Renaissance
buildings and stands slightly back at the far end. Here on a rounded
balcony the first mass of the Reconquest is reputed to have been
celebrated, the impressive mansion beneath it houses the tourist
office.
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| Jabalquinto palace. |
The finest palace is the Marquessa
de Jabalquinto, now a seminary with an elaborate Isabelline
front (showing marked Moorish influence in its stalactite decoration).
Just above it is the C16th cathedral which, like
many of Baeza's churches, has brilliant painted rejas (iron screens)
done by a local 16th century craftsman. However, the cathedral's
real novelty is a huge silver custodia cunningly hidden behind a
painting of St Peter which whirls aside for a small donation.
There are several special events
in Baeza that are well worth marking down in your diary. Firstly
there is the intrinsically Andaluz pilgrimage which is held on the
7th September in honour of the Santisimo Cristo de la Yedra and
the Virgin del Rossel. A few days before the event, the image of
the Virgin is carried from the shrine of La Yedra to Baeza
and on the appointed day it is taken in procession from the San
Pablo Church, among orchards and olive groves, to a spot
near La Yedra where contests and dances are held.
When you return
to Baeza, be sure to linger on a few days to discover its impressive
monuments, visit the porticoed Plaza Porticada del Mercado
Viejo, the Arco del Barbudo and the historic
university where the poet Antonio Machado once taught. Carry on
to see the paintings in the Church of Santa Cruz and don't miss the Palacio del Jabalquinto.
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