Santa María del Alcázar

Patron saint of Baeza (Jaén)

The patron saint of Baeza, Santa María del Alcázar, holds in its history the legend of the image hidden under the bell "la Beltrana" during Islam and unearthed when Fernando III reconquered the city in 1227.

Origin and history

Tradition tells that on the highest hill of Baeza there was a temple dedicated to the Virgin of the Nativity; the image was hidden underground and covered by the great bell "la Beltrana" during the Muslim domination, it was unearthed after seventy years when Ferdinand III the Saint conquered Baeza on November 30, 1227. The old mosque of the alcázar was transformed into the church of Santa Ana, then Santa María, elevated to a collegiate church in 1401 with the title of Our Lady of the Alcázar.

In the 18th century, due to the ruin of the neighborhood and the church, the image and the bell were moved to the parish of San Andrés, where it remains as the patron saint of Baeza, co-patron with Saint Andrew. The feast day is celebrated on August 15th, with a novena and procession; tradition also preserves the "miracle of the well" of 1643. The confraternity was canonically established in 1896, with indulgences granted by Pius IX.

Canonical coronation: it is not recorded as having been performed in the sources.