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The Capilla del Salvador.
Ubeda (pronounced OO-bay-da), with
its wealth of Renaissance palaces and churches, has much in common
with its counterpart Baeza.
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| Carvajal Square. |
The outstanding feature is the monumental
square, the Plaza de Vázquez de Molina, surrounded
with imposing buildings such as the Palacio de las Cadenas
(so named for the decorative chains which once hung from the façade).
The Capilla del Salvador
also has a chapel screen by the ironworker Bartolomé de Jaen. The
Hospital de Santiago, designed by Vandelvira in the late
16th century, with its square bell towers and graceful Renaissance
courtyard, is now the home of the town's Conference Hall. Ubeda
has a Parador, housed in a 16th century palace which was the residence
of a high-ranking churchman of the period.
Both towns, Ubeda and Baeza, have a
distinctly Castillian severity, with their granite buildings and
plazas, as opposed to the white walls and flower-fill courtyards
of Andalucia proper, and in many ways they resemble Segovia and
Avila more than Cordoba
or Seville. Poetry lovers
will be interested to know that the 16th century mystic Saint John
of the Cross died in a monastery in Ubeda.
Ceramics in Úbeda.
One of the main seasonal attractions
of the town is the annual music and dance festival
which is held in May and includes opera, jazz, flamenco, chamber
music, symphony orchestra and dance.
Just south east of the town lies the
nature park of Sierras
de Cazorla.
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