JAEN, a province of Spain, in the north-east of Andιlucia, is bounded on the N. by Ciudad Real, on the E. by Albacete and Granada, on the S. by Granada, and on the W. by Cordoba, and has an area of 5184 square miles. It may be described in general terms as consisting of the upper basin of the Guadalquivir, by which it is traversed from east to west. The main affluents of that river within the province are the Guadianamenor on the left and the Guadalimar on the right. Situated immediately between the Morena and Nevada chains, Jaen is largely overrun by lofty spurs from both those systems, the most prominent being the Loma de Chiclana and the Loma de Ubeda in connexion with the former, and the Sierras de Cazorla, de Segura, and del Pozo, with the more isolated Sierra Magina and Monte Jabalcuz in connexion with the latter. As in the other provinces presenting similar physical conditions, there are great inequalities of climate, that of the valleys being warm and admitting of olive and vine culture, while the bleak wind-swept uplands are only available as sheep walks. The mineral wealth of Jaen, which has been known from the time of the Romans, is great, and the mining industry (Linares) is the most important in the province. Agriculture is in a very backward state, the grain produced being insufficient for local demands. The total population in 1877 was 422,972. There are twenty-four towns with a population exceeding 5000,—the most important being, besides Jaen the capital, Alcalâ la Real, Andüjar, Baeza, Bailen, Linares, Martos, Ubeda....
JAEN, the capital of the above province, is picturesquely situated 37 miles north of Granada and 120 miles east of Seville, on the Jaen (an affluent of the Guadalquivir), at the base and on the slopes of an acclivity surmounted by an ancient Moorish citadel with which the walls of the city are connected. Its elevation above the sea-level is about 1800 feet. The streets, rising above one another on the hill-side, are narrow and irregularly built; but there is a fine alameda commanding magnificent views of the surrounding country. The principal public building is the cathedral, built in the 16th century, in the Graeco-Roman style, on the site of an old Moorish mosque destroyed in 1492. In it is preserved the relic called “El Santo Rostro” or “La Santa Faz,” “the Holy Face,” said to have been impressed by the Saviour on the handkerchief of St Veronica. Besides the cathedral, there are twelve parish churches and fourteen religious houses; the city also possesses hospitals, barracks, a theatre, an “instituto,” a library, and a museum of painting and sculpture. The manufactures of Jaen are unimportant. The population in 1877 was 24,392.
The identification of Jaen with the Roman Aurinx, which has sometimes been suggested, is extremely questionable. During the period of Arab domination it early became a commercial centre of considerable importance, under the name of Jayyan, and ultimately rose to the dignity of capital of a petty kingdom, which was brought to an end only in 1246 by Ferdinand III., who transferred thither the bishopric of Baeza. Ferdinand IV., “El Emplazado,” died at Jaen in 1312. In 1712 the town suffered severely from an earthquake.
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