The Spanish Constitution - 200 years later

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The 19th of March was a national holiday and a very special day in Spain - it was the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Spanish constitution, effectively Spain's first and one of the most liberal of its time. Nicknamed La Pepa it was drawn up in Cadiz during the Peninsular War with France, and reduced the power of the crown, the Catholic church and the nobility. It also served as a model for liberal constitutions of several other Mediterranean and Latin American nations. Gaditanos are rightly proud of the part they had to play, and a monument to the constitution stands in Plaza de Espana. Coming so soon after Carnaval I was looking forward to the celebrations!

I was woken up rudely at 09:30 by a marching band passing underneath my window, followed by a huge crowd. I rushed out not wanting to miss anything, and then couldn't find a trace of any activity going on! Not even the tourist office could help me. I went for a walk, tracing the consitution walk around significant buildings and places. I found it difficult to get near some of them - the King of Spain was visiting and security was very tight.

The first building on the route was the Palacio de Diputacion, a neoclassical building beside Plaza de Espana that now houses the Provincial Council. It has always had a role to play in the government of Cadiz. In the middle of Plaza de Espana is the constitution monument, commissioned in 1912 to commemorate the 100th anniversary. It's a very unique monument as it's the only one to have a book on the top! At the base is a female figure representing Spain, and, to either side, sculptural groupings representing agriculture and citizenship. Just across the street is a homogeneous set of properties called the House of the Five Towers. I just love the architecture here. The building is actually composed of five separate houses, however the overall appearance is that of a single structure. Each house has a watchtower that were built by wealthy merchants so that they could see their ships coming into harbour. These properties, and the houses at the nearby House of the Four Towers were lived in by some of the key influential movers and shakers involved in the constitution.

Walking by the old sea walls I came to the Alameda Apodaca, a park literally a stone's throw from my flat. At the top of that stands the Iglesia del Carmen, a baroque Carmelite church, where a solemn thanksgiving mass was held for the successful conclusion of the Constitutional text. The church appeared closed, so I headed on in a circular fashion until I came to the Plaza San Antonio, which was a civil and religious gathering point of the city. It contains, a church, the Provincial Library, a number of cultural agencies of the city of Cadiz, the Casino and Annex and the Consulate of Argentina. The walls of these agencies contain inscriptions to the Cadiz Constitution.

The last place on my walk was the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri. I cut the walk early as the streets around here were full of police and people, and I wanted to get back to Plaza de Espana. During the Peninsular War, the Cortes moved to Cadiz to escape the French army. The church, due to its capacity and in the houses adjacent to it, made space to install the secretariat offices, archives and other facilities necessary for the highest legislative body- a remarkably patriotic move for the church. This church is where the Cortes de Cádiz met, and outside, the carvings commemorate the centenary of the Cortes of Cadiz and the Constitution of 1812. The role of the church in Spanish history was not over, though. In 1823, because of the new French military intervention in Spain, the Government and the Courts, fleeing from Madrid and Seville, took refuge again in the church to hold various regular and special sessions. Under the church there is also a crypt containing the remains of several members of that event.

I was looking forward to seeing some of the re-enactments I'd heard were taking place on my walk, but apart from finding a large group of people in 19th century clothing I'd seemed to have missed everything! I made my way back to Plaza de Espana for 12pm, although crowds had been gathering since 10am. The King would be attending a ceremony at the Constitution monument so I found a spot to view the proceedings from. Two marching bands and about a hundred people in various costumes, from politicians and nobles to soldiers, came and grouped around the monument, obscuring any possible view. After an hour, the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy arrived to work the crowds, and shortly after King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia arrived. The crowds were so big at this point that it was impossible to get a good view of anything, so I just left, not even sure if I'd be missing out on anything!

I met my friend Ben for drinks in Plaza San Juan de Dios. We were still interested in seeing some of the bi-centennial celebrations but just didn't know where to go. Some people came marching into the square in costume, and were immediately engulfed by a swarm of onlookers. We just didn't fancy the hassle of crowds and remained in our chairs discussing our upcoming trip to Morocco. As the sun went down I returned home for dinner. I heard a marching band again in the distance and went up to the roof to watch a double firework show marking an end to the day.

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Photos

Iglesia del Carmen
no re-enactment but plenty of costumes

the crowds were crazy
as close a look as I could get

Cadiz architecture
house of the five towers (left) and house of the four towers (background)