Cinema and literature

The Renaissance: between the Letters and the Seventh Art

There are places that seem to have been designed not by architects, but by stage and literary. The imposing Renaissance joint of the province has made it a privileged territory where the border between historical reality and creative fiction is diffused.

Here, the Renaissance is a living scenario where a film is being made today, where a writer finds the precise adjective and where the traveller breathes the same light that inspired the humanists of the 16th century.

- A territory of Lights and Shadows

Crossing Despeñacolos is getting into one of Europe's most suggestive cultural routes. The Renaissance of Jaén, an unmistakable seal of the genius Andrés de Vandelvira, has an almost mystical quality: its ability to transform.

For the Cinema, Jaén has been the Madrid de los Austrias, the convulse Spain of the Inquisition or the stage of duels of "layer and sword," rescued from collective memory. Directors and producers have found a natural set in cities such as Ubeda and Baeza thanks to the authenticity of their streets, which offer a scenario that digital technology cannot yet replicate.

Film and series in the Jiennense Renaissance:

1. Alatriste (2006) - Agustín Díaz Yanes: partially shot in Ubeda, especially in the Vázquez de Molina Square, one of the most important Renaissance ensembles in Europe. The architecture of Siloé and Vandelvira made it possible to recreate the 17th-century Spain without just articulture.

2. The Conjura of El Escorial (2008) - Antonio del Real: Several scenes were filmed in Ubeda, taking advantage of palaces and streets that preserve its Renaissance layout. The city worked as a double of the court of Philip II.

3. The crown (2016) - Jordi Frades: Historical Miniserie about Juana I de Castilla. Rated in part in Baeza, where the Plaza del Populo and the surroundings of the Cathedral offered a frame

4. Isabel (2011-2014) - TVE: Although the series was shot in multiple locations, Ubeda and Baeza appear in several episodes. Its palaces and Renaissance squares were used to represent Spanish cities of the 15th and 16th century.

5. The Cathedral of the Sea (2018) - Antena 3 / Netflix: Part of the shooting took place in Baeza, taking advantage of its Renaissance urbanism to recreate medieval and Renaissance Barcelona.

6. The plague (2018-2019) - Movistar +: Although the series focuses on Seville, Ubeda was used for some scenes that required very well-preserved Renaissance urban spaces.

7. Minor productions, documentaries and short films: There are several documentaries about the Andalusian Renaissance have used Ubeda and Baeza as main scenarios. There have also been short films and promotional pieces that exploit their Renaissance aesthetics, especially after the declaration of World Heritage (2003).

The Refuge of the Universal Letters

But Jaén is, above all, a literary mosaic. From the Sierra de Segura, where the echo of Jorge Manrique's coplas still resounds in the stone, until the mystical recollection of the Ubetens convents where San Juan de la Cruz reached the top of the lyric in Spanish, our province has been balm and muse.

Here, the literature is played. You can visit the classroom where Antonio Machado taught French, while his soul melted with the Jiennese landscape, or go through the same alleys that inspired Arturo Pérez- Reverte to draw the shadows of his Captain Alatriste.

1. St. John of the Cross (1542-1591): He lived and wrote at Ubeda, where he died. Part of his mystical work is associated with the spiritual and architectural environment of the city.

Key works:

Spiritual song

Dark night of the soul

The flame of living love

2. St. Theresa of Jesus (1515-1582): He mentions Ubeda in his letters and writings. Its Carmelite reform is taking place in parallel to the Renaissance boom of the province.

Key works:

Book of life

Letters (references to Ubeda)

3. Juan Ruiz, Arciprera de Hita (14th century) Although medieval, mentions Ubeda in the Book of Good Love, contributing to his literary presence prior to the Renaissance.

Key work:

Book of Good Love

4. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616). It includes references to Ubeda in El Quixote, especially the episode of the "abduction of the body," referring to the transfer of the body of San Juan de la Cruz.

Key work:

Don Quixote de la Mancha

5. Antonio Machado (1875-1939). He lived in Baeza (1912- 1919). His poetry incorporates the Renaissance and agricultural landscape of the province.

Key works:

Poems on the olive tree

Campos de Castilla (Baezan stage)

6. Eugenio d'Ors (1881-1954): After visiting Ubeda, he compared it to Italian Renaissance cities such as Brescia or Ferrara, describing it as

Key work:

Article about Ubeda in your Glossary

7. Antonio Muñoz Molina (1956-): Born in Ubeda. It transforms the city into the mythical Magina, reinterpreting its Renaissance essence.

Key works:

Beatus Ille (1986)

The Polish rider (1991)

Plenilunio (1997)

Additional authors linked to the Jiennese Renaissance

8. Andrés de Vandelvira (1505-1575): Although an architect, his written work (traces, treaties, designs) influences artistic literature and the interpretation of the Andalusian Renaissance. His legacy inspires essays, historical novels and literary studies.

9. Francisco de los Cobos (1477-1547): Secretary of Charles V and patron of the Ubetense Renaissance. He appears as a character or reference in many historical and essayistic works.

Works where it appears:

Spanish Renaissance essays

Biographies and historical novels set in the 16th century

10. Ginés Pérez de Hita (1544-1619): Although his civil wars of Granada influenced the literary vision of the Andalusian Renaissance, and his work is studied in relation to the Renaissance territories of the south, including Jaén.

11. Manuel Caballero Venzalá (1926-2012): A jiennese poet and essayist who incorporates references to the Renaissance heritage of the province in his work.

12. Juan Eslava Galán (1948-) Natural de Arjona (Jaén). The historical and essayistic narrative contains references to the Andalusian Renaissance and to Ubeda and Baeza.

Key works:

In search of unicorn

History of the world told for skeptics (references to the Spanish Renaissance)

13. Manuel Andújar (1913-1994): The work of the author of the province, which incorporates landscapes, memory and cultural references, including its monumental legacy.

14. Fanny Rubio (1949-): Writer born in Linares. His poetic and narrative work includes references to Jaén's cultural heritage,