JAEN  , the

capital of the Spanish province of Jaen, on the Linares-Puente Genii railway, 1500 ft. above the sea . Pop . (1900), 26,434 . Jaen is finely situated on the well-wooded northern slopes of the Jabalcuz Mountains, overlooking the picturesque valleys of the Jaen and Guadalbullon rivers, which flow north into the Guadalquivir . The hillside upon which the narrow and irregular city.streets rise in terraces is fortified with Moorish walls and a Moorish citadel . Jaen is an episcopal see . Its cathedral was founded in 1532; and, although it remained unfinished until late in the 18th century, its main characteristics are those of the Renaissance period . The city contains many churches and convents, a library, art galleries, theatres, barracks and hospitals . Its manufactures include leather, soap, alcohol and linen; and it was formerly celebrated for its silk . There are hot mineral springs in the mountains, 2 M. south . The identification of Jaen with the Roman Aurinx, which has sometimes been suggested, is extremely questionable . After the Moorish conquest Jaen was an important commercial centre, under the name of Jayyan; and ultimately became capital of a petty kingdom, which was brought to an end only in 1246 by Ferdinand III. of Castille, who transferred hither the bishopric of Baeza in 1248 .

Ferdinand IV. died at Jaen in 1312 . In 1712 the city suffered severely from an

earthquake .