Gate of Úbeda
Description
The Gate of Úbeda was one of the fortified elements of the old Baeza when a wall protected the attacker. This is a 12th-century construction with a square floor plan that led to neighboring Úbeda and was also used as a parade ground. It currently conserves one of the three arches it had next to the Albarrana tower, which has survived to this day in good condition.
Both the gate and the tower belonged to the old Arab wall that guarded the city.
Outside the door, a coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs is preserved in great condition. In an opening next to the main arch there is a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Incarnation, framed by two Corinthian columns on pedestals. A split-leaf pediment crowns the structure.
Albarrana tower and medieval interpretation center of Baeza
The Albarrana tower can be visited and from its top, you can enjoy great views of the city and the surrounding area. It is a great place to see Baeza from above, its rooftops, the olive groves that surround it and the silhouette of the Sierra de Cazorla.
From this construction operated the company of the Two Hundred Ballesteros del Señor Santiago, a group of elite soldiers who had the protection of Fernando III and enjoyed great privileges, acquired by their achievements during the Reconquest. They were a decisive part in the taking of important forts such as Úbeda, Córdoba, Seville, and Jaén. A monument on La Merced Street commemorates this company. Part of the tower and the gate came to have integrated dwellings.
Both the Gate of Úbeda and the tower perfectly represent the Muslim and Christian Baeza. The Almohads walled the city in the 12th century and declared it an important fort of their kingdom. In the following centuries, it was the object of a struggle and changed hands several times until its final Christian conquest in 1227, under the reign of Fernando III el Santo, specifically on November 30, the feast of Saint Andrew. All this historical process was seen by the stones of these walls, until their almost total destruction, already mentioned, in 1476.
