Iglesia Conventual de Santa Clara

The Santa Clara convent church in Alcaudete has its origins in the ecclesiastic authorisation for its foundation given by Pontiff Alexander VI, in a papal bull issued in Rome on September 21, 1499. Its founders and material sponsors were Mr Alfonso Fernández de Córdoba Montemayor (5th Excellency of Alcaudete) and his wife Mrs María de Velasco. In the spiritual realm, seven nuns of the Convent of Santa Cruz of Córdoba resided in the Espíritu Santo Shrine until approximately 1550.

Its doorway with Solomonic columns is worth highlighting. In the province of Jaén, it is the sole existing sample of a complete stone doorway, superimposed over two floors. This work is associated with that of Hurtado Izquierdo in Cordoba or the façade of the University of Granada. Dateless and of unknown author, given its similarity with the façade of Merced de Córdoba (1745), it appears to date somewhat further back, perhaps within the first quarter of the 18th century.

The building is rectangular. Its construction borders the 16th and 17th centuries. At its feet, the church extends across a low, separated choir, separated from the same by a latticework of lesser height than the rest of the church. It also has another choir to the side of the presbytery.

The church has a chapel built as a tomb for Mr Martín de Córdoba, fourth son of the first Count of Alcaudete. It has an ironwork gate from the early 17th century, bearing the coat of arms of the Counts.