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This section of the ancient wall, the Jaén Gate , supports an additional arch with coats-of-arms set above.

The town’s most charming area, the Plaza del Pópulo, is surrounded by Renaissance edifices. It is also called the Square of the Lions, after its fountain, which sports four stone lions and a female figure .

This square is fronted by several glorious 16th-century structures, including the cathedral. One of the many masterpieces by Renaissance architect Andrés de Vandelvira, it was originally a Gothic church, built over a mosque in the 13th century.

One of the most unusually decorated palaces in town is the 15th-century Palacio de Jabalquinto . Its façade is sprinkled with coats of arms and stone studs in Isabelline Plateresque style.

Here the 16th-century Alhóndiga (Corn Exchange) has an elegant façade with three-tiered arches, while the Torre de los Aliatares is an ancient remnant of the old wall.

In this square the Capilla del Salvador, built by Vandelvira, marks a high point in the Spanish Renaissance.

The variety of riches here includes the Iglesia de San Pablo , displaying an array of styles, the 15th-century Casa Mudéjar, now an archaeological museum, and the 16th-century Ayuntamiento Viejo, with its superb arcades.

Passing through the Puerta del Losal, a splendid 13th-century Mudéjar gate, takes you into the town’s age-old pottery quarter. Ceramic artists renowned all over Spain and beyond ply their ancient trade here.

Visit the patio of the Real Monasterio de Santa Clara, the town’s oldest church, where the sisters will sell you their distinctly Arabic dulces (sweetcakes). The Palacio de la Rambla is another graceful Vandelvira creation and is now home to a small luxury hotel.

The Casa de las Torres has a Plateresque façade , flanked by two vast square towers and with gargoyles on the cornice. The Church of San Lorenzo is unique in that its façade is on the parapet of the old wall.