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Published: November 23rd 2022
An all-day coach trip to Salamanca was the agenda for today. From Barca d'Alba we crossed the Águeda river, a Douro tributary, to enter Spain. The mountains of Portugal extended briefly into Spain, but shortly thereafter we were crossing the high plateau of central Spain, known as the Meseta, This region is part of Castille and Léon. The landscape and vegetation here, like the plateau in La Mancha, is very reminiscent of Southern California. It is mostly open country with scurb vegetation or farmland. A few towns are encountered on the road to Salamanca. The first was La Fregeneda with a hilltop church. Others featured light industry, warehouses and agricultural businesses.
After about a two-hour ride, Salamanca came into view. The first sight of Salamanca was the tower and dome of the New Cathedral. Then we passed the Puente romano, the Roman bridge over the Tormes River dating from the first century. A walking tour of Salamanca began at the Mercado. The central market opened in 1909 and is an active urban public market today. Produce, olives, poultry fish, and flowers are all sold here in individually operated stands. (There was no fish today. As it was Monday morning, the
Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor of Salamanca. Built between 1729 and 1755.
"The Calle de Zamora ends at the large, rectangular Plaza Mayor, the finest square of the kind in Spain. It is surrounded by lofty four-storied buildings, dating from the 18th cent, with colonnades on the ground floor, greatly frequented as promenades, especially in the evening. On the N. side rises the Casa del Ayuntamiento, by Churriguera".--Baedeker 1913.
Old City of Salamanca UNESCO World Heritage site.
IMG_8210p1fishermen had not been out on Sunday.) But everywhere there was
jamón, ham. All manner of ham, especially
jamón Ibérico. As Susan and I had previously observed in Spain, Ibérico ham is predominantly sold in full bone-in legs to carve at home, though fresh cuts and vacuum packed cuts were available. Our Viking group had an Ibérico ham and wine tasting at the market.
After the market, we walked from the Plaza del Mercado to the Plaza Mayor. The Plaza Mayor is the center of Salamanca, a public open space surrounded by 18th century buildings and ground floor cafes. A place to people watch while enjoying a coffee or glass of wine. The Ayuntamiento (city hall) is the focal point of the plaza. Next we walked to the Casa de las Conchas. The House of Shells is a mansion built between 1493 and 1517 by Rodrigo Arias de Maldonado. He was a knight of the Order of Santiago. Thus, he decorated his house with the design of 300 scallop shells symbolizing the Camino de Santiago.
At Plaza de San Isidro our local guide showed us our first view of the University of Salamanca. The university, one of the
Arco del Toro
Arco del Toro. Entry to the Plaza Mayor from Plaza del Mercado.
IMG_8186 oldest among European universities, was founded in 1218. The Aulario San Isidro building blends in so well it looks like it has been there forever. But is a recent building in Salmanca time. The Iglesia de San Isidro was here until the 1890s. The current building, built as a bus station (!) in 1935, incorporates the portal of the church as its main entrance. The university acquired it only in 1976. To its right the narrow Calle Libreros led to Patio de Escuelas. Facing it is the façade of the Escuelas Mayores, an original university building dating to 1430. The elaborate façade was created in the early 16th century, sponsored by Juana I (aka Juana la Loca). She and her son, Charles I and her parents, Ferdinand and Isabella, are depicted on medallions on the façade.
Around a few corners from Escuelas Mayores was the main portal of the New Cathedral (
La Catedral Nueva). The New Cathedral was begun in 1513 and completed in 1733. It is mostly Gothic in the exterior and the interior vaulting, but mixes in Baroque decoration and a dome in the interior. The adjacent Old Cathedral (
La Catedral Vieja) had been built in the
Plaza Mayor - Ayuntamiento
Plaza Mayor. In the center is the Ayuntamiento, the city hall. Designed by Andrés García Quiñones.
"The Calle de Zamora ends at the large, rectangular Plaza Mayor, the finest square of the kind in Spain. It is surrounded by lofty four-storied buildings, dating from the 18th cent, with colonnades on the ground floor, greatly frequented as promenades, especially in the evening. On the N. side rises the Casa del Ayuntamiento, by Churriguera".--Baedeker 1913.
Old City of Salamanca UNESCO World Heritage site.
DSC_0180p1 12th and 13th centuries. It is Romanesque and quite small when compared with the New Cathedral. In fact, it is very difficult to see from the ground. The relative dimensions of the two cathedrals only becomes clear when viewed on Google Earth.
The main (west) portal is the
Portdada del Nacimiento. One carved panel represents the Nativity and the other the Epiphany (arrival of the three kings). At the top is a depiction of the Crucifixion. The bell tower rising out of it is shared by both the old and new cathedrals. (It began with the old and then was extended in height for the new.) But the public entrance to the cathedral is at the north portal,
Portada de Ramos. The theme is Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. (The word
ramos roughly translating as the palm branches.) A unique feature of this portal is the figure of an astronaut carved into the filigree border. It was added during a 1993 restoration. This was the end of the walking tour and everyone now had two hours of free time until it was time to regroup for the return trip. Susan and I went into the new cathedral to explore.
Plaza Mayor - Pabellón Real
Plaza Mayor. Pabellón Real - Royal Pavilion. In the center is the San Fernando Arch. This was the first section built in 1729-1735, designed by Alberto Churriguera. Named for Philip V who supported the idea of a new town square.
Old City of Salamanca UNESCO World Heritage site.
DSC_0182 The new cathedral is laid out with a floor plan similar to the Toledo cathedral, but it is much larger. A series of eighteen chapels runs around the ambulatory. We inspected several of these, beginning with the Capilla de Santiago y Santa Teresa (de Ávila), patron saints of Spain. The Choir and the
Capilla Mayor, containing the high altar, are placed in the crossing, in the middle of the nave, rather than in the apse. The Choir is a Baroque ensemble of high-backed wooden choir stalls. It faces the Capilla Mayor, another Baroque era addition, set off by a tall altar screen. Between the Choir and Capilla Mayor is a mirror device that enables visitors to view the cathedral's dome and upper nave without having to look backwards and up.
The entrance to the old cathedral is through a door in the nave of the new cathedral. The ambiance here is completely different from that of the new cathedral. From an open, airy, and beautifully decorated space, you enter a Medieval setting. The nave is smaller and the pillars closer together. The walls are lined with arcosolios dating to the 12 and 13th centuries containing the the tombs of
individuals associated with the old cathedral. An exception is the Altar of Santa María la Blanca. This altar is decorated with paintings (frescoes?) of eighteen miracles attributed to Cristo de las Batallas. (An image of Jesus carried by El Cid and others during the Reconquista.) Even these are flat against the wall of the nave and not placed in a defined chapel. The old cathedral does have a surprise in store. The impressive retablo of its Capilla Mayor. The floor to ceiling altarpiece depicts the life of Jesus. It consists of fifty-three painted wooden panels, distributed across eleven rows and five columns, in order from bottom to top and from left to right. A depiction of the Last Judgment is in the top of the apse, above the retablo ensemble. Off of the old cathedral's cloister is the Capilla de Santa Barbara, built in the 14th century along with the old cathedral. The polychome wooden altarpiece depicting the life of the saint is from the 16th century.
Upon exiting through the cathedral gift shop Susan and I found ourselves opposite the Casa Lis, a museum of Art Deco and Art Nouveau. We went in to have a brief look
and also visit the cafeteria for a refreshment. The first floor of the museum contained a collection of jewelry, small statues and objects of decorative art in Art Nouveau style. We couldn't linger as it was time to rejoin the group at Plaza de Anya. Once assembled, the local guide led us to the Hotel San Polo for a "coffee break". Along the way the group passed the church of the Convento de San Esteban. This church had a striking façade and I think bears further investigation. But not on this trip. The Hotel San Polo is a modern hotel partially built into the ruins of the Iglesia de San Polo. The coffee break consisted of coffee or tea with tea sandwiches and teacakes. But hardly had we sat down to the repast than the guide announced we would be leaving in 20 minutes!
The coach ride back to Barca d'Alva retraced our morning route. Once back aboard
Viking Torgil, the captain was eager to cast off. Apparently a number of cruise vessels were due that evening and the captain did not want his ship to be hemmed in. So, we sailed back downstream on the Douro, docking for
Iglesia de San Martín de Tours
"The passage at the S.W. angle of the Plaza Mayor leads to the church of San Martin, a late-Romanesque edifice, said to have been originally founded in 1103".--Baedeker 1913.
DSC_0183 the night at Pocinho.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Spain
Amazing architecture.