Arc of San Lorenzo

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.HistoryIt 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 (Mother of God Hospital), 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 (Jaén Theological Seminary), 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 (Spanish: la iglesia de San Bartolomé), 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 to the 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.