Minor Basilica of the Sacred Parish Church of San Ildefonso

Located in Jaén, the first evidence that exists of the original structure and seed of Minor Basilica of the Sacred Parish Church of San Ildefonso dates back to 1248, when it was created as a chapel for serving the cathedral. Two centuries later, in 1430, it became the scene of a famous miraculous event: the descent of the Virgin Mary to the city of Jaén. After this event, the building became a shrine dedicated to the Virgin of the Chapel and homage was paid to the image of her found inside it. In the 16th century, the Virgin of the Chapel was named patron saint of Jaén.

The church comprises three doorways: the oldest, in Gothic style, is at the back of the church. The side doorway, in Renaissance style, has a relief of St Ildefonsus receiving the mass vestments from Mary. The last to be built was the main doorway, in Neoclassical style, which is crowned by an image of the saint who the building is named after.

The interior is Late Gothic and adopts a floor plan with a nave and two aisles defined by composite pillars supporting pointed arches. The remains of the famous architect and stonemason Andrés de Vandelvira, mentor of the Jaén Cathedral and the Baeza, and a great master of Renaissance architecture in Andalusia are buried here.