The Assumption of the Virgin Cathedral is a Renaissance-style, Roman Catholic cathedral located in Santa María Square, opposite the Town Hall and the Episcopal Palace, in the center of Jaén, region of Andalusia, Spain. The current cathedral was conceived in the 16th century to replace the previous 15th centuryGothic temple. Construction lasted for several centuries, despite the original idea was kept. The capitular room and the sacristy stand out, which are the masterpiece of Andrés de Vandelvira, and one of the most important works of the Spanish Renaissance. Also outstanding is its main facade, one of the main works of the Spanish Baroque, built after the consecration of the temple in 1660 based on the design of Eufrasio López de Rojas. Likewise, the neoclassical choir stands out due to its beauty and the large number of seats that make it one of the largest in Spain. Once the building works were completed, they continued in the following centuries, mainly in the interior decoration and the chapels. Furthermore, as a consequence of the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, consolidation works were necessary on the north facade, as well as the construction of the Sagrario church. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary since the consecration, in 1246, of the old Mosque of the Muslim city, after its conquest by the holy king Ferdinand III of Castile. Inside it, among other works of art and religious objects, the relic of the Holy Face or La Verónica , specifically the true face of Jesus Christ, which could be captured on the canvas in which Saint Veronica dried her face during his passion. It’s kept in the Main Chapel, and a public veneration of the faithful is exposed every Friday. In 2008, the procedure for the cathedral of Jaén to be declared World Heritage Site, considering that it served as a model for the construction of other cathedrals in Spain and the Americas. On January 27, 2012 the «Jaén Cathedral » was inscribed on the Spanish Indicative List of World Heritage Site, in the category of cultural property.
History
The cathedral stands on a site once occupied by a mosque. Construction began in 1249 atop the ruins of the mosque. The church was damaged and rebuilt on numerous occasions during the following two centuries until the sixteenth century, when several architects, Andrés de Vandelvira being the most important one, built the biggest part of the cathedral. It was consecrated in 1724. next to Jaén Cathedral. The more distinctive architectural element is its façade, designed by Eufrasio López de Rojas and sculpted by Pedro Roldán. The cathedral houses, with other artworks, a depiction of the Veil of Veronica. Around 1545 the young Francisco Guerrero was the maestro de capilla. This cathedral is on the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Church of the Sagrario
The Church of the Sagrario is a building attached to the north facade of the Cathedral, made due to the unevenness and damage caused by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. The project for this work was designed by the Madrid architect Ventura Rodríguez in 1764, although it was executed by his nephew Manuel Martín Rodríguez. It was inaugurated in 1801 and was consecrated on March 22 of that year.
