Alcala De Henares

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Alocala De Henares is a city of 220,000 people located 35 km north east of Madrid. The name ‘Alcala De Henares’ is Arabic for ‘Castle of the Heneres’ - Heneres being the nearby river. Alcala is a Moorish Arabic word for fortification. The conquering Romas moved to this site in 1 BC, becoming the only Roman town in the Madrid region. The Moors arrived in 711 subduing the now Visigothic city and founded another site for the city. In 1118, the city was reconquered by the Archbishop of Toledo. In the 1480s, Christopher Columbus met here with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who financed the travel for the discovery of America.

It is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain.

In 1496 Cardinal Cisneros founded a University which became famous as a centre of learning during the Renaissance. It was moved to Madrid in 1836. A new University was founded in the old buildings in Alcala De Henares, buildings which had fallen into ruins as the University of Alcala de henares in 1977. Consequently Alocala De Henares boasts the second oldest University in Spain. The Marist Brothers run the School of Education at the University.

The city suffered severe damage during thye Spanish Civil War. Mystic John of the Cross is associated with the city. Bombs for the 2004 Madrid train bombings were planted on trains that originated or pass through Alcala De Henares.

Near to Alocala De Henares is a city called ‘Guadalajara’, whose name is also Arabic for ‘River of Pebbles’. Ironically, our last Marist Tertiary Conference was held in Guadalajara in Mexico in 2006.

Before leaving for Salamanca, those attending the Marist Higher Education Conference spent the day in Alcala De Henares visiting the city and looking at the Marist School of Education. There are 20,000 students in the University and 800 studying teacher training in the School of Education.

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Photos

Alcala de Henares
Conference participants tour the City

Cervantes House
Cervantes was born in Alcala de Henares and continues to inspire the city.

Br Tony D'Arbon
Entering the Cathedral