Valladolid

Valladolid is the capital of Castile-Leon, that vast region to the northwest of Madrid. At first sight, it appears a large, modern, industrial city but there are many reminders of the glorious era when Valladolid was the home and birthplace of the Castilian Kings. It was in this city that, in 1469, Ferdinand wedded Isabella thereby uniting the kingdoms of Aragón and Castile that led to a united Spain.

Avenida Salamanca
photo: public domain (Dariorueda90)

One of the outcomes of this merger was that Castilian became the official language of all Spain, which is perhaps why it is claimed that the purest form of the language is spoken here in the heart of old Castile. The University has played a big part in the lives of the people of Valladolid from when it was founded in the 13th century until the present day. However, it became one of the most important in the country during the rule of the Catholic Monarchs. The 'Faculty of Law' building of the University is one of the finest in the city. It has a magnificent Baroque façade.

façade of the College of San Gregorio by Luis Fernández García
(Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

exhibit in Diocesan Museum
photo: public domain

Many other buildings in the city were created in Isabelline style - named after Queen Isabella, it is a most attractive type of ornamentation though rather elaborate. A superb example of this style is the façade of the College of San Gregorio - a flamboyantly decorative building that houses the National Sculpture Museum. It is one of many museums in the Valladolid and includes the Diocesan Museum, which is housed in the Cathedral.

Valladolid Cathedral is a Renaissance building designed by Juan de Herrera in the 16th century. He was the co-creator of San Lorenzo El Escorial, the massive palace-monastery that served as a royal abode and mausoleum - Juan Bautista was the other architect of that World Heritage monument. The Cathedral may not be as spectacular as El Escorial but it is, nevertheless, a decent piece of religious architecture.

Valladolid Cathedral
photo: public domain

Whilst much of Valladolid is modern, the city has preserved many important buildings especially within its historic quarter. I have mentioned the Cathedral, the University and the museums so let's pay a visit to some of the other sights in the city beginning with the Plaza Mayor. This beautiful square was created in the 16th century and proved to be the model for future plazas in Spain. In the surrounding streets there are many large houses and palaces.

The Palace of the Marqueses de Valverde is most attractive. It was constructed in Florentine style in the 16th-century. The Pimentel Palace is important, historically, because it was the birthplace of King Felipe II. Nowadays, it is the seat of the Provincial Administration. The Palace of Juan de Vivero was built in Gothic-Mudéjar style in the 15th century. It, too, is historically important because Ferdinand and Isabella married there in October 1469. It is currently the headquarters of the Provincial Historic Archives.

Santa María la Antigua
photo: public domain (Floranes)

The Cathedral is not the only important religious building in Valladolid. The old church of Saint Mary is impressive. Its Castilian name is La Iglesia de Santa María la Antigua and it was originally built in the 11th century. Later a beautiful Romanesque tower topped by a slender pyramid shaped spire was added. This was in the 13th century and it is all that remains of the original church - a Gothic building replaced it in the 14th century. Other important temples in the city include the Monastery of las Huelgas Reales, the Church of San Pablo the Gothic Church of Santiago and the Collegiate Church of Santa Cruz.

San Pablo (old painting)
public domain

San Pablo facade
photo: public domain (Mattis) 

Calle de Santiago, Valladolid 1900

the above text is an extract from "Spanish Impressions" ISBN 9781445225432

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Photographs of Spain"	http://bovingtonphotosofspain.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Segovia - the city

Segovia is the capital of the province of the same name in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is one of those delightful Spanish cities that have been awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO. The city is best known for its Aqueduct but its castle is quite splendid and the old town has many treasures including the Cathedral and a number of churches built in the Romanesque style. 

Segovia

There is also the Alcazar. If you visit this enchanting fortress, you might well think it looks familiar - particularly if you have visited a famous American holiday destination - the Alcazar in Segovia was allegedly the inspiration for Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle! The castle has another link with America - it was here that Queen Isabella gave Columbus financial backing for his trip to discover the New World. The castle sits high on a ledge overlooking the city. The Moors had originally built it in the 12th century and it became a favourite residence of the kings of Castile. The Catholic Isabella was proclaimed Queen of Castile here in 1474. Over the centuries, the castle was enlarged and embellished - the 'Disney-like' conical spires were added during the reign of King Philip II in the 16th century. Today, it is a museum and, if you get bored of looking at medieval weapons and armour, you could climb to the top of a tower. The 152 steps are worth climbing for the views!

Alcazar Segovia

Romantics may prefer the castle but the Aquaduct is probably the most famous monument in Segovia. Known locally as El Puente, it stands at the entrance to the historic section of the city and is a masterpiece of Roman engineering. It was built at the end of the 1st century AD and, nearly 2000 years later, it is still well preserved despite the fact that no mortar was used - the granite blocks are held together by nothing other than their own weight! The aquaduct is colossal - 20,400 granite blocks were used to build the main part of the structure, which has 166 arches. 

Aqueduct Segovia

The aqueduct may be the symbol of Segovia but the Cathedral is probably the most important building in the city. It was begun in 1525, during the reign of Carlos V and is widely considered to be Europe's last great Gothic cathedral. 

Cathedral Segovia

There are a number of important religious buildings in the city and many are Romanesque - in fact, Segovia has one of the largest concentrations of Romanesque churches in all of Europe, most dating back to the 11th century. The more notable ones are those of San Lorenzo, San Martín, San Millán, La Trinidad and San Esteban. All of the aforementioned churches and many more besides are within the old city walls. One church situated outside of the old town that is worthy of mention is the Church of Vera Cruz. Founded by the Knights Templar it is unusual in that it is dodecahedral - the building has twelve faces making it appear almost circular!

some churches in Segovia

There are many other fine monuments in Segovia including important medieval and Renaissance buildings, such as the 15th-century Corn exchange and the 14th-century Tower of los Lozoya. There are magisterial houses and beautiful palaces befitting a royal city.

NB. all of the above images have been declared public domain - special thanks to Zarateman who donated a number of the images including the churches.

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Photographs of Spain"	http://bovingtonphotosofspain.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/