#282 Spain...Thanks David!

These two stamps were issued in Apr.2010 devoted to the towns of Ubeda and Baeza in the province of Jaén, which were declared “World Heritage” sites in 2003. This declaration is an important acknowledgement by the UNESCO, and is part of the list of 41 World Heritage sites in Spain. The stamp depicts the renaissance style patio of the Casa de las Torres in Ubeda and the gothic façade of the Jabalquinto palace in Baeza.

The urban frameworks of Ubeda and Baeza date from the period of the Arab domination (IX Century) and the Reconquest ( XIII century). With the Renaissance, both towns underwent an important urban planning transformation motivated by the arrival of new architectural and Humanistic influences from Italy.

Ubeda was an important bastion during the Muslim rule and there are many architectural remains of this period such as the Losal door and other parts of the city wall beside vestiges of the Romanic and Gothic periods. However it was during the XVI century when this town reached its maximum splendour under the reigns of kings Charles I and Philip II. Many of Ubeda’s most impressive renaissance buildings are the palaces of the Condestable Dávalos, Cadenas, Bussianos, Marqués de Mancera, Vela de los Conbos, Camarero Vago and Conde de Guadiana and churches and convents such us the Sacra Capilla del Salvador and the Hospital de Santiago besides other relevant baroque and Plateresque style monuments and buildings.

Baeza is a nearby town with a valuable artistic and architectural ensemble. The Santa Cruz church is of a late Romanic style and the beautiful Jabalquinto palace is from the Flemish gothic period. The town reached its maximum splendour in the XVI century with the Renaissance with the Antigua Carnicería, the squares of the Mercado Viejo and the Antigua Universidad and other buildings such as the Plateresque Casa del Pópulo and the baroque Balcón del Concejo, besides other remarkable monuments.