Segovia, a city of 56,000 people, is the capital of the Province of Segovia, one of nine provinces that comprise the Comunidad Castilla y León. Aside from the fact that its historic center was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1985, one travel guide declares the place a "magical city of warm terracotta and sandstone hues set amid the rolling hills of Castilla, against the backdrop of the Sierra de Guadarrama."
Be that as it may, arriving by the high-speed AVE train lands you several miles from the city in the middle of grazing land that reminds one more of the American West. And this, only a little over three-hours altogether from Valencia, 30 minutes of which is lost negotiating the two major Madrid train stations in the Spanish capital 70 km (43 miles) to the south.
The almost straight diagonal line on the bottom left-hand third of the aerial photo is the new train line. The station is to the right above the word, "Google." To add insult to the location injury, it is the kind of place where the one coffee shop is now Cerrado permanentemente (permanently closed).
Eventually, the city itself does appear - not as dramatically as the photo below taken from an altogether different direction - but dramatic enough given the starting point. Encompassed by the three photos below are the three most significant tourist attractions of the city: the Cathedral; the Roman aqueduct; and the Alcázar or fortress/castle made famous by none other than Walt Disney. All are described below in some detail, in addition to a host of other sights that make this Spanish city unique.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE DESIGNATION
Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct
Brief synthesis
The Old Town of Segovia is located in the centre of Spain, in the Autonomous Community of Castile and León. The centre is crowded together on the rocky bluff delineated by the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores rivers.
Segovia is symbolic of a complex, historical reality. Its neighbourhoods, streets, and houses are laid out in accordance with a social structure in which hierarchy was organized and dominated by belonging to one of the different cultural communities. Moors, Christians, and Jews coexisted for a long period of time in the medieval city and worked together during the 16th century manufacturing boom. The evidence of this cultural process can be seen in the large number of outstanding monuments in the city, among which, the Roman Aqueduct stands out. Other important monuments can be found in the property: the Alcázar, begun around the 11th century; several Romanesque churches; noble palaces from 15th and 16th centuries; the 16th-century Gothic cathedral, the last to be built in Spain in this style; and the Segovia Mint, the oldest industrial building still existing in Spain.
The Roman Aqueduct of Segovia, probably built c. 50 BC, is remarkably well preserved. This impressive construction, with its two tiers of arches, forms part of the magnificent setting of the historic city of Segovia. It is an enormous construction of masonry, 813 m in length, consisting of four straight segments and two superimposed arcades borne by 128 pillars. At the lowest point of the valley, the Aqueduct stands at a height of 28.5 m.
(...)
The Aqueduct of Segovia is the best known of these civil engineering feats due to its monumentality, its excellent state of conservation, and in particular, its stunning location in relation to the urban site. The Aqueduct is the symbol of the city and can in no way be separated from Segovia as a whole.
Criterion (i): Segovia comprises an array of monuments, which in terms of beauty and exemplary historical significance, are truly outstanding, with the Aqueduct, the Alcázar, and the Cathedral among its major structures.
Criterion (iii): The Old Town of Segovia illustrates a complex, historical reality through its urban layout and architectural developments. It is a prime example of the coexistence of different, cultural communities throughout time.
Criterion (iv): Segovia provides an outstanding testimony of a Western city based on a number of diverse, cultural traditions. All the component parts of the built environment, from domestic architecture to the great religious and military structures, can be found here in a broad range of construction techniques and styles that reflect this unique, cultural diversity.
STREET SCENES
(Photo by Tony Woodcock.)
"Vermouth on tap."
Acueducto de Segovia
(The Segovia Aqueduct)
Completed in 96 A.D. or 112 A.D.
(The historians are still working on it.)
(The historians are still working on it.)
This is one of the largest remaining aqueducts or portions of aqueducts built by the Romans and is, as a result, a major historical monument. It is very big and very prominent, particularly because the portion remaining is actually a bridge, carrying the water across a shallow valley. Located in the center of the city, the aqueduct also serves as an urban monument.
Below is a description of the engineering marvel that somehow leaves out the fact that the enormous stones of the aqueduct are set neither with cement nor mortar, making this engineering marvel even more remarkable. Clearly, a major attraction however you approach it.
The aqueduct once transported water from the Rio Frio river, situated in mountains 17 km (11 mi) from the city in the La Acebeda region. It runs 15 km (9.3 mi) before arriving in the city...The water was first gathered in a tank known as El Caserón (or Big House), and was then led through a channel to a second tower known as the Casa de Aguas (or Waterhouse).
There it was naturally decanted and sand settled out before the water continued its route. Next the water traveled 728 m (796 yd) on a one-percent grade until it was high upon the Postigo, a rocky outcropping on which sits the walled city center with its Alcazar or castle. (See below.)
To reach the old city, the water is conveyed by its aqueduct bridge. At Plaza de Diaz Sanz (Díaz Sanz Plaza), the structure makes an abrupt turn and heads toward Plaza Azoguejo (Azoguejo Plaza). It is there the monument begins to display its full splendor. At its tallest, the aqueduct reaches a height of 28.5 m (93 ft 6 in), including nearly 6 m (19 ft 8 in) of foundation.
There are both single and double arches supported by pillars. From the point the aqueduct enters the city until it reaches Plaza de Díaz Sanz, it includes 75 single arches and 44 double arches (or 88 arches when counted individually), followed by four single arches, totaling 167 arches in all.
(Wikipedia)
CATEDRAL DE SEGOVIA
La Santa Iglesia Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y de San Frutos de Segovia
(Segovia Cathedral)
16th-18th Centuries
(Photo by others.)
(Forecourt)
ALCÁZAR DE SEGOVIA
(Segovia Fortress/Segovia Castle)
The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress, but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since. It is currently used as a museum and a military archives building. There was a Roman fort on the site and a Muslim-era fort, remnants of which remain. It was then used and expanded by Spanish kings and queens from the 12th- through the 16-centuries, sustained major damage in 1862 due to a fire, and was re-built in a process that finally begun in 1882 and was completed in 1896.
(Sources: Wikipedia; https://castles.today/castles/castles/spain/segovia/history/; https://nerdist.com/disney-castle-alcazar-segovia-cinderella/)
Why it might look familiar to you is that Walt Disney was so taken by the Alcázar that it was reproduced as the Queen’s castle in his movie, Snow White, some would say in almost exact detail. It was also a major influence on Cinderella's castle (Both also refer to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany).
What is less convincing to an architectural eye is the lack of context throughout the many rooms and areas of the castle as to what is old, what is new, what is original and what has been reproduced. It is a bit of fun, nonetheless.
One of the early 19th-century prints that helped with the restoration at the end of the century.
PLAZA MAYOR
Segovia's main square that contains the city's Ayuntamiento (City Hall); the Juan Bravo Theater; and the apse of the Cathedral. In the photo below, the pedimented theater is on the extreme left. The church spire is from a church that once fronted the plaza, but that was partially razed to make more room for the plaza. This is the church where Isabella was crowned Queen (see more below). The Plaza itself is filled with life throughout the day, including thankfully not just tourists, but many residents.
The Ayuntamiento, across the square above and its facade below.
THE FORMER JEWISH QUARTER
The current entry to the convent that once housed the main synagogue of Segovia.
The construction of the old main synagogue took place around mid-14th century. Beginning in the 15th century, it was confiscated by the authorities and converted into a church in 1419, dedicated to Corpus Christi. In 1421, the bishop of Segovia handed the building and premises over to the Monastery of Santa María de Párraces. The monastery in turn sold it to two brothers, Manuel and Antonio del Sello, who transformed it into a convent for the Sisters of Penitence. The former synagogue still forms part of that convent.
(Wikipedia)
The current chapel. (Photo by others.)
The chapel in 1899 after a fire gutted the structure. (Photo by others.)
House-palace of Abraham Seneor, the main book-keeper of Castile,
modified in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Bronze symbol in the shape of a map of Spain with Hebrew letter
embedded in a Segovia street.
For a comprehensive history of the Jews in Segovia, see https://www.redjuderias.org/google/google_maps_print/segovia-en.html
Casa de la Lectura
Original, Renaissance period; Renovated, 2017
Until recently, the building had housed Segovia’s public library, founded in 1842. It was at one time used as a jail where Lope de Vega was kept prisoner in the year 1577; and was again used during the Franco period as a prison.
Part of the renovation includes a "didactic space" dedicated to the memory of the victims of repression and dictatorship.
The refurbishment project design was the work of a group of architecture students from IE School of Architecture and Design (see below), guided by Professor and Doctor of Architecture Romina Canna.
The ground floor is made up of La Plaza (The Square), which is an exhibition and activity area, the Book Park, which is the children’s area, and the Cloister, which is the reading area. The first floor houses an informal reading room, the main reading room, the study room, and the Luis Javier Moreno room located in the old chapel, which will be used for activities and meetings. The new building is eminently sustainable, can be accessed by everyone, and is open to diversity and the concept of democratic heritage.
(https://www.ie.edu/school-architecture-design/news-events/news/segovia-reopens-new-public-library-reading-house-remodeled-architecture-students-ie-university/)
(Photo by others.)
IE UNIVERSIDAD
at the
Convento de Santa Cruz la Real
for the
HAY FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE AND THE ARTS
On the edge of the city is the Convent of Santa Cruz la Real which was built on the site of first Dominican Monastery in Spain. As the article below describes, the complex has had a series of buildings and re-buildings. Other sources note that the original convent was still under construction well into the 16th century.
"The Dominican convent of Santa Cruz la Real de Segovia, founded at the beginning of the 13th century on the banks of the Eresma river, an area also chosen by other monasteries, such as the Cistercian women of Santa María and San Vicente or the Jerónimo of Santa María del Parral , underwent a practically complete rebuilding financed by the Catholic Monarchs in the late fifteenth century coinciding with the priory of Fray Tomás de Torquemada, confessor of the monarchs and appointed by them Inquisitor General, taking the name from that time on Santa Cruz "The Real".
Although during the French invasion and the confiscations of the 19th century it suffered fires and looting and ended almost in a ruin, then it had hospice and asylum functions and in the second half of the 20th century it was abandoned, in the 1990s the Diputación de Segovia, owner of the building, ceded its use as the headquarters of IE University, with the commitment of its restoration, carried out in the following years."
(Published by Sira Gadea, December 23, 2012:
http://viajarconelarte.blogspot.com/2012/12/la-iglesia-de-santa-cruz-la-real-en.html)
"IE University is a private university, owned by Instituto de Empresa S.L. Its campuses are located in Segovia, Castile and León and Madrid, Community of Madrid. IE University's programs are run in English and Spanish, and are compliant with the terms of the European Higher Education Area."
(Wikipedia)
IE has an active architectural degree program, the impact of which can be seen in the latest re-incarnation of the Convent as the home of the university. Restoration and conservation of the buildings has clearly been done with a trained eye. And, insertions of contemporary elements has also been accomplished with sensitivity to the original building and campus fabric. (See also, Biblioteca above.)
The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for ten days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was described by Bill Clinton in 2001 as "The Woodstock of the mind".
(Wikipedia)
The raised pavilion on Plaza Mayor (see above).
Today, the Hay Festival takes places in venues around the world, including at the IE University. My interest was mainly the architecture "events." These included Lars Lerup, a native Swede who is an American architect, architectural thinker, Dean and Professor, writer and artist in conversation with Ricardo Devesa, a Spanish architect, Professor, and Editor-in-chief at urbanNext. The conversation focused on the subject of Repensando la cidudad para el siglo XXI (Rethinking the City for the 21st Century), based primarily on Lars' latest book, The Continuous City.
(Full disclosure: I worked for Lars as a Teaching Associate at U.C. Berkeley in the early 1980s. I had not seen him since and fortunately we had a chance after to catch up on both our lives.)
I also heard Kazuyo Sejima in conversation with Martha Thorne and Laszlo Baan on the changing role of museums. Sejima is head of the 2010 Pritzker Prize-winning partnership Sanaa. I was equally excited about attending a non-architecture event featuring the film-maker, Stephen Frears, in conversation with producer Peter Florence. Much to my dismay, Frears, whose films include the wonderful My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), was acting like a complete ass.
The Festival also had a series of well-known authors from around the world giving talks. Spanish authors included Planeta Award-winning Javier Sierra; Member of the Royal Academy, Antonio Muñoz Molina; Clara Usón; and poets Luna de Miguel and Manuel Vilas.
Ricardo Devesa and Lars Lerup.
MUSEO DE ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO
Original, 1445; Renovation in 1970s by Architect Juan Ariño
The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente houses the extraordinary collection of works donated by Esteban Vicente (Turégano, 1903 – Long Island, 2001), the only Spanish member of the first generation of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism in America. The exhibition of this Permanent Collection alternates with temporary exhibitions and cultural activities such as lectures, recitals and concerts.
The museum is located in the medieval palace of King Henry IV, of the Trastamara family, whose construction dates back to 1445. In addition to its five exhibition spaces, the visitor can also enjoy its Renaissance chapel with its Hispano-Moorish carved wooden ceiling, currently the auditorium of the museum, and the garden where Harriet and Esteban Vicente’s ashes rest.
(https://www.museoestebanvicente.es/en/museum/)
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Food Note
RESTAURANTE JOSE MARIA
(NOTE: Vegetarians or animal rights' advocates
might want to skip over this entry in its entirety.)
A local shop window's commentary on the city's delicacy.
O.K. The gist of it is that Segovia is known for cochinillo, a maximum 21-day old roast suckling pig that has been cooked for so long and at such a high temperature in a wood-fired oven that it can - and is - cut by slamming the edge of a cracked plate on its now rock-hard skin. It is traditionally served alone, or at most, with a green salad to start the meal. Restaurante Jose Maria is perhaps the most famous of the several restaurants in the city that feature this dish.
The restaurant has been visited by royalty, the rich and famous, and now by me. I have to admit that although it certainly was an interesting event and the restaurant itself (and its younger offspring across the courtyard) of interest, the meal did not live up to its hype. I could be wrong - my travel mates thought it was wonderful - but I remember the whole roasted cuy (guinea pig) that I ate in Cuzco, Peru as being much more flavorful and better-accompanied.
For a full culinary description of cochinillo, read:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/travel/article/suckling-in-segovia/
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VARIOUS CHURCHES
Iglesia de San Andrés
(Church of San Andrés)
13th Century
Iglesia de la Vera Cruz
(Church of Vera Cruz)
13th Century
Built by the Knights Templar with a unique 12-sided exterior.
Souvenirs San Martin
(Church of San Martin)
12th-Century-on
Iglesia de San Clemente
(Church of San Clemente)
12th-13th Centuries-on
Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad
(Church of the Holy Trinity)
12th to 13th Centuries
Convento de Santo Domingo de Guzmán
y La Torre de Hércules
(Santo Domingo de Guzmán Convent
and theTower of Hercules)
13th to 17th Centuries
(Note: Church of the Holy Trinity in the foreground)
Iglesia parroquial de San Esteban
(Church of San Estaban)
13th Century
The tower is designated a Bien de Interes Cultural and has been protected since 1896, when it was declared a National Monument
(Photo by others.)
Iglesia de San Miguel
(Church of San Miguel)
(Church of San Miguel)
Completed, circa 1572
On site of the Romanesque church where in 1474 Isabel the Catholic was crowned Queen of Castile. The church was demolished in 1532 to allow for the expansion of the Plaza Mayor.
The first two photographs below are the remains of the original entrance
to the church that still faces the Plaza Mayor.
The "new" church.
The interior view of the original church entry, now on the side axis of the new church.
...and the new church entry.
HOTEL PARADOR DE SEGOVIA
1979 Original: Joaquin Pallás Lopez, Madrid
1984 Renovation: Estudio Lumbier Arquitectos, Madrid
One of Spain's government-sponsored Paradores de Turismo, this Parador is about three kilometers (1.9 mi.) from the center of Segovia situated on the El Terminillo estate, a site which was chosen for the panoramic view of the city.
Paradors are normally strategically-placed historic structures that have been transformed into glorious hotels. In the case of Segovia, a strategically-placed site was chosen to build a modern-day parador. It is an utter mess from the factory-like entry exterior, through its vaguely Frank LLoyd Wright-like interior public spaces, to its one-redeeming feature, a outlook over the entire city. Even this has been tarted up with a lackluster swimming pool that gets in the way of the view.
VILLAGE OF SAN LORENZO
If you are lucky, on the way to the Parador, your taxi driver will take a small detour and drive you through this picturesque, classically Spanish village. The local church, the 12th-century Romanesque, Iglesia de San Lorenzo is a designated National Artistic Treasure.
Addendum:
SGRAFFITO
You might remember this photo from the detailed description of the Alcazar above. The applied decorative element on the building facade is an example of sgraffito. As the below description indicates, Segovia has perhaps the largest number of examples of sgraffito in Spain. I was unaware of this distinction on arriving in the city, but immediately began noticing the fascinating detail(s) and starting collecting photographs of examples. Clearly, it is not only of historic importance, but also an example of a civic tradition that continues today as very much a part of Segovia's timeless way of building.
(http://renaissancearchitecture.blogspot.com/p/sgraffito-in-segovia.html)
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Copyright © 2015-2018 Benjamin Clavan
