Begun in 1548 by Andrés de Vandelvira, the Cathedral of Jaén is one of the finest pieces of Renaissance architecture in Spain. The southwest facade, finished in 1660, has the tight proportions and theatrical sculpture of the early Baroque; the interior, more sober, is a textbook of high Renaissance geometry — coffered domes, clean Corinthian columns, and a soaring central nave.
The cathedral's plan was so admired that it became the template for the great cathedrals of Spanish America: Mexico City and Lima both owe their shape, in part, to what Vandelvira built here. The choir stalls, carved between 1519 and 1535, are extraordinary. There is a small museum upstairs with religious art including works by El Greco's circle. Entry €6, includes the bell-tower climb for a long view over the city.