The old world town of Baeza, the Roman Vivatia, lies in the upper valley of the Guadalquivir, among the foothills of the Loma de Ubeda, surrounded by olive-groves and fields of corn. The see of a bishop in Visigothic times, it was conquered by the Moors and finally became Christian again in the 13th Century. In the 16th century a university was founded in the town. As a trading town on the border between La Mancha and Andalusia Baeza prospered particularly in the 16th century: a prosperity which found expression in the building of many handsome town houses and noble mansions.
From the Plaza Santa María in Baeza, the Cuesta de San Felipe Neri leads to the little Plaza de Santa Cruz, with the church of Santa Cruz. Opposite it is the imposing Palacio Jabalquinto, the palace of the Counts of Benavente, which has a late 15th century Isabelline façade by Juan Guas with faceted stonework and Moorish buttresses.
A narrow street separates the Palacio Jabalquinto from the Old University, which was founded in 1542 and converted into a school in 1875. At the beginning of this century the poet Antonio Machado taught French here (commemorative plaque in courtyard). The street between the palace and the University leads back to the Plaza de los Leones.
The spacious Paseo de la Constitución in the center of Baeza is surrounded by handsome 17th century houses. The two most striking buildings, at the east end, are the clock-tower known, after a Moorish family, as Los Aliatares and the old Cornmarket with its triple arched gallery. In the little street behind the Cornmarket is the old granary, from which grain was conveyed direct into the market.
The first thing to strike the eye in the Plaza Santa María in Baeza, southeast of the Plaza de los Leones, is a fountain in the form of a triumphal arch bearing the arms of Philip II.
The most important building to the north of the Paseo de la Constitución in Baeza is the Ayuntamiento, on the Paseo Cardinal Benavides. It has a charming facade with very beautiful balconies and fine coats of arms, including that of Philip II. Close by are the ruins of the Convento de San Francisco and the former Hospital de la Concepción, which has a beautiful south doorway.
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Plaza de los Leones
