The Arch of San Lorenzo in Jaén, Spain is located at the crossroads of the streets Almendros Aguilar and Madre de Dios. It is part of the former Church of San Lorenzo, built between the 13th and 14th centuries and its interior houses such treasures as Moorish tilework and paneling, as well as a small chapel. It is also home to an association called Amigos de San Antón. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1877.
History
It is said to be the place where the wake for Fernando IV ’”The Summoned,” who died in Jaen on 17 September 1312, was held. For this reason, throughout the centuries prayers for the dead have been held in the arch during the funerals of the city bishops. Maximiliano of Austria, the uncle of Carlos I, was baptized here on July 6, 1555. Juan de Olid, the secretary of the Constable Miguel Lucas de Iranzo is buried in the arch. The small chapel served as the head of the Hospital de la Madre de Dios, founded in a nearby home in 1491 by Don Luis de Torres, the son of Constable Iranzo. It was also the first chapel of the Seminario Conciliar de Jaén, founded in 1620. In 1825 the church of San Lorenzo collapsed due to neglect, leaving only the arch standing. The parish and its archives were moved to the Church of Saint Bartholomew, and its artistic treasure was divided between the Church of Saint Bartholomew and the Church of La Merced. It was declared a national monument in 1877 thanks tothe work of a group of Jaén residents who obstructed a campaign for its complete demolition. In 1969 the Dirección General de Bellas Artes began its restoration, which was headed by an architect from Jaen named Luis Berges Roldán.
The old church
The church was a single nave located at the current address 2-4 San Lorenzo Street. It was noted for its artistic treasures, including an All Souls Altarpiece, a panel of Saint Dominic and Saint Bartholomew of La Cuesta, and a legendary painting on linen of Cristo de las Injurias, all currently located in the nearby Church of La Merced.
The chapel
The chapel is covered by brick vaulting in the center of which hangs a votive lamp from a plaster pendant. The entire wall of the chapel is covered by a Moorish tiled plinth of great artistic value. On the altar there is an lowered arch niche housing a crucifix on a red damask background. This niche is decorated with fine Moorish plasterwork that festoons the tile panels. On the two sides of the entrance an inscription in Gothic lettering reads:
