Real Colegiata Iglesia de Santa María de los Reales Alcázares
The church stands on the original mosque within the walls of the Alcázar, without communication with the city until the beginning of the sixteenth century, except for a small shutter that is still preserved in the cloister and through which, according to tradition; King Fernando III el Santo entered the mosque to consecrate it to Christian worship. Towards 1510 the construction of a portal began, in the time of the Bishop of Jaén Don Alonso Suárez de la Fuente del Sauce, destroying a piece of the wall between two towers. The side door, known as “La Consolada” is also Renaissance in style, the work of Pedro de Cabo with images by Luis de Zayas. The episcopal coats of arms on both portals belong to the Bishop of Jaén, Don Sancho Dávila. Inside it is a Gothic-Mudejar church with five naves on square columns, to which there are Gothic chapels with metal bars by the artist, Maestro Bartolomé. It has a barrel vault made in the seventeenth century to replace the original wooden coffered ceiling, decorated with the coats of arms of the first Bishops of Jaén and that of Don Diego de los Cobos. The cloister has an irregular floor plan and is located on the patio of the original mosque. It has a Gothic arcade from the end of the fourteenth century and tracery vaults from 1512. The belfries of the church were built in 1887 according to a project by Felipe Vara, the end tower being what remains of the old Islamic minaret. This church has the character of a Collegiate Church since 1259, although in 1852 it lost the Cabildo. The temple was closed in 1983 to proceed with its restoration, since the inclination of its pillars threatened imminent ruin. The first architect who carried out the work was Isicio Ruiz Albusac, who proceeded to destroy the Baroque plaster vaults, thinking that they were the cause of the ruin. This destruction caused the temple to end up being completely destabilized. Enrique Venegas later took charge of the restoration, making an in-depth study of the building, consolidating its unstable foundations. A wooden roof was made, imitating the one that the temple would have originally had between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1926. Located in Plaza Vázquez de Molina.
Opening Times:
Monday-Sunday, 10:30-13:15 and 17:00-19:45hrs.
Price:
Adult, €4. Children, €1,50. Over 65 and Groups, €2,50.
Tel: 953 75 65 83