Andrés de Vandelvira’s last architectural project, completed in 1575, has been dubbed the Escorial of Andalucía in reference to the famous monastery outside Madrid, built in a similarly grand, austere late-Renaissance style. Standing outside the old town, 500m west of Plaza de Andalucía, the finely proportioned building has a broad, two-level, marble-columned patio, and a wide staircase with colourful original frescoes. It now acts as a cultural centre, housing a library, exhibition halls, and a concert hall in the chapel.
Hospital de Santiago
Andalucía
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.3 MILES
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Nearby Andalucía attractions
1. Centro de Interpretación Olivar y Aceite
0.39 MILES
Úbeda's olive-oil interpretation centre explains all about the area's olive-oil history, and how the oil gets from the tree to your table, with the help…
0.42 MILES
Úbeda's fascinating Casa Museo Andalusí comprises a 16th-century private home that was inhabited by conversos (Jews who converted to Christianity) and a…
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The medieval Sinagoga del Agua was discovered in 2006 by a refreshingly ethical property developer who intended to build apartments here, only to discover…
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This fascinating Vandelvira-designed 16th-century mansion, elegantly restored in the 19th century, is still a private home, fully furnished and replete…
0.5 MILES
Plaza 1˚ de Mayo, originally the town’s market square and bullring, was also the site of Inquisition burnings, which local bigwigs used to watch from the…
0.51 MILES
The Iglesia de San Pablo has an impressive, elaborate, late-Gothic south portal from 1511, facing the plaza, and some fine pillars, arches and carved…
7. Palacio de Vázquez de Molina
0.51 MILES
Úbeda's ayuntamiento (town hall) is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful – if not the most beautiful – in Spain. It was built by Vandelvira in about 1562…
0.52 MILES
Broad Plaza 1º de Mayo was originally Úbeda's market square and bullring. It was also the grisly site of Inquisition burnings, which local bigwigs used to…