Iglesia de San Ildefonso.

Second only to the cathedral in local prestige, the Basilica of San Ildefonso is a stylistic timeline of Jaén’s history. Originally established in 1248 as a humble chapel, it evolved into a major pilgrimage site following the 1430 "Descent of the Virgin," an event that eventually led to the Virgin of the Chapel becoming the city’s patron saint. The building is an architectural collage: you enter through a 18th-century Neoclassical facade, move past a Renaissance side portal featuring a relief of Saint Ildefonso, and find yourself under the ribbed vaults of a Late Gothic interior. For those interested in Spanish Renaissance history, the church serves as the final resting place of Andrés de Vandelvira, the master architect who shaped the aesthetic of the region. It remains a living piece of the city’s identity rather than a hushed museum.