A tour of the historical heritage of the city
Diversity of architectural styles in the Baenenses temples
From Gothic to Baroque, the town’s churches and convents are a sample of the different artistic movements that have taken place over the centuries.
The urban center of Baena has 7 historic churches, 3 convent buildings and 1 hermitage
Although the different vicissitudes of history caused the population to lose an important part of its religious buildings, an interesting complex still remains, in which the churches of Santa María la Mayor and San Francisco stand out. Both have been listed since the last century as monuments of National Historic-Artistic Interest and are architectural references of the Gothic and Baroque styles, respectively.
However, the fact that these two temples have the highest distinction awarded in Spain does not mean, at all, that the rest are without interest. Quite the opposite. Lovers of the ogival style and more specifically of the flamboyant Gothic, they can contemplate the pointed main arch of the presbytery of Our Lady of Guadalupe (former Dominican convent church) and, above all, in addition to the identity architecture of the already mentioned church of Santa María, the pillars, arches and vault of the chapel San Bartolomé, where the central nave and the lateral ones are covered with simple coffered ceilings of the Mudejar tradition, a style that will be much better represented in the church of Guadalupe. There, the coffered ceilings that cover both the presbytery and the chapel of the patron saint of Baena, who gives ownership to the temple, are especially relevant.
For its part, the Renaissance is fully appreciable in the church of the Madre de Dios monastery, while the elements of the Baroque, in addition to San Francisco, are present in practically all the churches of Baena.
