Iglesia del Salvador, Renaissance chapel in Vázquez de Molina Square, Spain
Iglesia del Salvador is a Renaissance chapel in Úbeda, Spain, built on Plaza Vázquez de Molina next to a palace building. The floor plan shows a round rotunda at the center, surrounded by rectangular naves, while the stone facades carry coats of arms of noble families and religious motifs.
Francisco de los Cobos, secretary to Emperor Charles V, commissioned the chapel in 1559 as a burial place for his family. Andrés de Vandelvira designed the building and introduced technical innovations later imitated in other structures across the region.
The name Salvador refers to the Transfiguration of Christ, which remains the central theme of the interior decoration. Sculptural figures on the facades carry the features of vices and virtues, a moral representation common during the Spanish Renaissance.
The rotunda stands at the center and was reserved for the noble family, while the adjoining nave remained open to all visitors. Daylight enters through windows in the dome and illuminates the wooden altarpiece, best viewed from the main nave.
The corner door was designed by Vandelvira to carry the weight of the wall above while allowing street access. This technique is considered a pioneering solution for corner structures in Spanish Renaissance architecture.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
