Iglesia de la Santa Cruz

Plaza Santa Cruz, s/n. 23440, Baeza How to get

Right in front of the Palacio de Jabalquinto you will find the Church of Santa Cruz. This church is characterized because it is one of the few in the Romanesque style that has been preserved in perfect condition to this day. Dating from the end of the 13th century, it was built on the occasion of the conquest of Baeza by Fernando III.

This building has undergone numerous transformations, both inside and outside. In the 15th century, due to an extension, the north door of the church disappeared, in which a chapel was built. The current main portal comes from the church of San Juan Bautista.

Its façade is worth looking at, as it was covered by neoclassical structures. You can see this very well in the decoration of the capitals of the columns. Inside, the Mudejar roof was replaced by the current one due to its poor condition and in the 20th century the primitive structure was restored and stripped of its classical decoration by the General Directorate of Fine Arts.

You will be able to observe that its walls and the apse are made of masonry, and that they are finished off by a molded cornice. The main façade, made of ashlar masonry, has a projecting body composed of a semicircular opening with smooth archivolts, which is supported by columns with capitals of acanthus leaves. Like the other façade, it is finished off with a molded cornice.

Inside you will be able to differentiate three naves, covered by a wooden coffered ceiling, supported by stone columns. The central nave stands out, as it ends in a barrel vault. There you will find a semicircular apse that is covered by fresco paintings from the early 16th century.