Salamanca, capital of the province of the same name, is located in
the North-west of Spain in the region of Castile and Leon. It is 208
km from the Spanish capital, Madrid. It is around 200.000 inhabitants
of which some 40.000 are students. The city was built on the bank
of the Tormes and now straddles the river from both sides.
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Fig 1- Towers of Salamanca |
Celtic tribes founded Salamanca around
400 BC. It was romanised and given the name “polis megale”
after it was annexed as part of the Province of Lusitania. Christianity
arrived to the city some time before the year 600 and was conquered
by the Moors some 120 years later. In the XII century it was restored
to the Christian monarchs and so began the repopulation of what
was to become the province.
At the beginning of the XIII century, the University of Salamanca
was founded. It was one of the first and most prestigious universities
in Europe. Christopher Columbus
came to the city under the protection of the Dominican Monks at
the Monastery of San Esteban, in order to seek the endorsement of
Queen Isabel the Catholic for
his enterprise, which would eventually culminate in the Discovery
of America. In those years towards the end of the XV century and
the beginning of the XVI, Salamanca became a centre of Catholic
theology for the Counter-reformation as reflected in the
Council of Trent and contemporary academic thought.
Worth visiting
Salamanca is one of those towns, which, although not large in extension,
impress any of its visitors. All the buildings in the centre of
town, even the new ones, are made of the stone from of Villamayor,
a small village close to Salamanca; this stone is a soft clay material
which make possible very filigree works; furthermore, its high concentration
of iron and manganese produce a characteristic golden colour which
gives strong personality to all the town.
The Cathedrals:
The Old Cathedral was
begun in 1150 and completed in the c. XIII. It is late Romanesque
in design with Byzantine Romanesque influences from France seen
in the Torre del Gallo (“Cockerel Tower”) Dome and later
Cistercian tendencies for ribbed vaultings. The most outstanding
feature of the Cathedral is its main altarpiece with multiple panels,
beautifully painted by Dello Delli, as well as the San Martín
and Santa Bárbara chapels.
Work on the magnificent New
Cathedral began in 1497 since the
Old Cathedral was proving too small for a city like Salamanca. Not
completed until 1733, which explains its mixture of styles, it passed
through the capable hands of Joaquín de Churriguera, Rodrigo
Gil de Hontañón and Juan de Álava. Along with
Segovia, it represents one of the most beautiful examples of late
Gothic architecture in Spain, with the outstanding iconography of
its sculpted doorways, especially the one designed by Puerta de
Ramos. A narrow street, Calle Calderón, leads you from here
to the University quarter.
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Fig 2.- The new Cathedral |
Fig 3.- The old Cathedral |
The University Quarter:
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Fig 4.- Patio de Escuelas
Mayores |
Fig 5.- Patio de Escuelas
Menores |
The University of
Salamanca is one of the oldest in the world, founded by King
Alphonse IX only a short period of time after the Universities of
Bologna and Paris. The building you can see today however was built
at the time of the Catholic Kings, and is considered a masterwork
of plateresque style. The façade is ornamented with numerous
figures, the most famous among them the "frog on a skull",
which numerous tourists try to make out - not easy considering the
large number of small figures.
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Fig 6.- The University |
Fig 7.- The frog on the
skull |
In the University's interior certainly the
huge Library
of 160.000 volumes is the main attraction. Worth visiting is also
the staircase with reliefs showing scenes of the “spicy”
medieval skill, the happiness of the married life and scenes of
games.
In the centre of the square in front of the University there is
the statue of Fray Luis de León,
a famous poet and professor who was persecuted by The
Inquisition. When after years in prison
he came back to give lessons, his first words were: "As we
mentioned yesterday...”
In the Calle Libreros there is the Unamuno
Museum. The poet and philosopher Miguel
de Unamuno, rector of this University, lived from 1900 to 1914 in
this 18th-century home besides the university building. Here he
wrote many of the works that made him famous. You can see some of
his notebooks and his library, along with many personal mementos.
In the Patio de Escuelas Menores
you may visit the beautiful Renaissance court with its typical salmantinian
arcades and the impressive fresco painting "The Heaven of Salamanca",
painted in the c. XV by the artist of the Hispano-Flemish school,
Fernando Gallego. It represents an astrological chart following
the new philosophical theories of the time.
Other important buildings in this quarter are the Renaissance
Palacio de Anaya and the famous Casa
de las Conchas, landmark of the town.
The façade of this 15th century house, which is considered
one of the most representative examples of isabellinian Renaissance
style, is ornamented with reliefs of Saint Jacob's shells.
Another sight is the baroque Jesuit monastery
La Clerecía, of 18th century, with a huge cupola and an altar
covered by gold. At Plaza del Poeta Iglesias is to be seen the Iglesia
de San Martín, founded in 12th century, with its beautiful
Romanesque style northern portal. Other parts have been added later
on in plateresque and baroque styles, respectively.
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Fig 9.- Casa de las Conchas |
Fig 10.- Clerecia |
Plaza Mayor
This large square, created in 18th century
by Alberto de Churriguera and Manuel de Larra Churriguera, is without
doubt among the most beautiful in Spain. It forms the real centre
of town, not only geographically.
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Fig 11.- Plaza Mayor |
Fig 12.- Iglesia de San
Martín |
In the streets around there are many important
monuments, as the Iglesia de la Purísima,
the Monasterio de Santa Ursula,
the Iglesia de los Capuchinos,
and the Colegio del Arzobispo Fonseca
(venue of the Conference), an outstanding work of 16th century with
a splendid Renaissance court, created by Juan de Alava.
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Fig 13.- Monasterio de Stª Ursula |
Fig 14.- Iglesia de la
Purísima |
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Fig 15.- Iglesia de los
Capuchino |
Fig 16.- Colegio del
Arzobispo Fonseca |
The Monasteries
Around the cathedral there are several monasteries,
which deserve a visit. Convento
y Museo de las Dueñas is a plateresque
16th century building with a fantastic cloister and beautiful court.
The Convento de San Esteban,
also of 16th century and built by Juan de Álava, with an altar of
Churriguera, is another masterwork of plateresque style. Churriguera
was also the architect of the beautiful baroque Colegio
de Calatrava.
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Fig 17.- Convento de
San Esteban |
Fig 18.- Convento de
San Esteban (Cloister) |
More buildings worth visiting are the Convento
de las Claras, Convento de los
Jesuitas and the church Iglesia
de Sancti Spiritus.
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Fig 19.-Colegio de Calatrava |
Fig 20.- Convento de
las Claras |
More Monuments
At the end a few more monuments the visitor
to Salamanca should not miss: The
Puente Romano, a Roman bridge over the
river Tormes, one of the best conserved in all Spain. The
Casa de Lis, an outstanding example
of the modernist architecture of early 20th century and the region's
most visited museum
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Fig 22.- The Roman Bridge |
Fig 22.- Casa de Lis |
And finally, the avenue Gran Vía, of unique harmony
as all the buildings and the beautiful arcades are made of the golden
stone from Villamayor. More information about Salamanca (museums,
gastronomy, restaurants, nightlife) and other cities around can
be found in the following addresses:
www.asalamanca.com
www.aboutsalamanca.com
www.red2000.com/spain/salaman/index.html
www.jcyl.es/turismo
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