Úbeda is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Jaén, Andalusia. Both this town and the neighboring Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the early 16th century resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces and churches, which have been preserved ever since. In 2003, UNESCO declared the historic centers and landmarks of these two towns a World Heritage Site.
Legend has it that Úbeda was established by Tubal, a descendant of Noah. The city's name is said to have originated from the mythical tower of King Ibiut.
Archaeological evidence indicates the earliest settlements in Úbeda going back to the Copper Age, and are situated in the oldest part of town known as Cerro del Alcázar.
Recent archaeological investigations have revealed a history spanning six millennia; thus, Úbeda stands as the "oldest city, scientifically substantiated, in Western Europe". This assertion comes from the research team led by Professor Francisco Nocete, based on ...
Wat Worachettharam วัดวรเชษฐาราม is located directly west of the Royal Palace. It is situated in a park that includes Wat Lokaya Sutha and Wat Rakhang (also known as Wat Worapho).
Wat Worachettharam is a large, restored ruin with many architectural structures on site. One of its primary features is a large bell-shaped chedi that is constructed in the classic middle Ayutthaya period style. The spire contains about 25 rings, and its harmika is fully intact, including spire and supporting colonnade. The chedi sits upon a reconstructed platform.
In front of the chedi is a sermon hall. This vihara has been rebuilt to the basic foundation layer, which includes some partial walls and columns. A large Buddha image sits on the altar in the taming mara pose. The ubosot lies north of the wihan.
This roofless building has all its walls intact and there is evidence that ceramic plates were once placed within the stucco of the gable. A second Buddha image sits on the altar in the taming ...
Wat Pho, known as the Monastery of the Bodhi Tree, stands as a relatively well-preserved temple ruin off the city island of Ayutthaya. The site lies in an area once called Thung Kaeo, positioned between the remains of Wat Kuti Thong and Wat Wong Khong. Flooding can make access difficult during the rainy season.
The monastery was originally approached by water along a now-filled canal known as Khlong Wat Pho, which appears on historical maps from the early twentieth century and likely connected to other local waterways such as Khlong Pha Lai. A ferry once operated across the old course of the Lopburi River from the Ten Cowries Landing near Wat Thammikarat on the city side. Traces of a surrounding moat remain visible in places.
What survives on the ground consists of the restored ruins of an ordination hall and a sermon hall, together with the foundations of four smaller chedis, all enclosed by an outer wall of the type known as a crystal wall. These principal structures are aligned east-west, with ...
Wat Sangka Tha วัดสังขทา
Wat Sangkha Tha is located on the city island in the southwestern part of Ayutthaya. The temple is licsted in the Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park. Wat Sangkha Thae and Wat Chedi Yai are nearby Wat Chao Phram and several other ruins are located just east of here.
Being part of the Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park the ruin has been restored by the Fine Arts Department. The site consists of two monastic structures, an ordination hall and a wihan, both with a chedi.
Two other monastic structures are also nearby. A wihan called Wat Sangkha Thae or the "Monastery of the True Monkhood" and likely a bell or drum tower.
The whole complex is surrounded by a moat. All buildings were probably originally part of one temple but early maps show them as two seperate temples.
Its historical background and period of construction are unknown with most records being destroyed during the fall of the city to the Burmese in 1767. The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya mention an important ...
