Trip #1 - SEGOVIA (Part I)

What a wonderful day in the beautiful city of Segovia. The city boasts some amazing sites, among them the Roman aqueduct and the stunning Alcázar, home to Isabel and Fernando, the Catholic Kings.

We started our visit at the Roman aqueduct. We were led by Mariano, a guide that our agent in Spain hired for us. The aqueduct is nearly two thousand years old and has survived all the forces that nature can throw at it, including the aftershocks of the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. All of the stones are laid one on top of the other and held together by gravity. There is not a single ounce of cement used to hold it together. The idea of the "keystone" takes on added meaning when you consider its function in maintaining each arch tightly fitted together and the entire structure firm and unmoving.

The aqueduct runs about 11 miles and starts in the nearby hills. It slopes at a slight angle that allowed water to flow along the upper canal until it reached this point where the people living in Segovia (on a hill) could come to this point and collect water for use in their homes.

 

The city was built in such a way that the wealthier citizens lived on the walled hill and the working class (laborers) lived below. You can imagine who were the ones to suffer first!!! Anyway, Segovia has many beautiful palaces. Some have been turned into business while others house government or educational organizations.

La Casa de los Picos

This palace exemplifies a process adopted from the Muslim tradition. Instead of plain stuccoed walls, the architects would take stencils that they would apply to the wet cement. Once the cement had dried the workers would slowly chip out pieces to create the designs you see below:

Also stunning is the ornate metal work (herrería) in the window. This metal work dates back to the 16th century.

Below is another example of a palace, this one showing the arched balcony overlooking the plaza.

Below is the medieval marketplace.

This is the Iglesia de San Martín in the Plaza de Juan Bravo. This is a typical example of a Romanic church (ignoring the addition to the top of the tower). Porticos were often found on the north and south of the buildings to take advantage of morning and evening light.

Surrounding this plaza are several very interesting Renaissance buildings (below)

From here we made our way to the Plaza Mayor where you find government and religious building. Here you will find the ornate Cathedral of Segovia.

Here are some interior shots of the Cathedral with its high vaulted ceilings.

The "catedra" where the priest delivers his sermon is made from Carrera marble. On the front is a representation of the Virgin Mary and Christ child. On the sides are representations of the four Evangelists with their anthropormorphic symbols (Matthew/Man; Mark/Lion; Luke/Ox; and John/Eagle)

The patron saint of Segovia is San Fruto. In a small casket are his remains in the center of this elaborate altar just behind the choir area.

Now my favorite thing in the Cathedral. In one of the side chapels you will find this painting by Ignacio de Ries. You will see the world represented by people eating, drinking and making merry. The main trunk of the tree has been cut nearly through, representing the coming judgment. To the left is death with a small demon tugging on a rope tied to the upper branch of the tree. To the right is Christ with a hammer in hand gently ringing the bell. The story tells of the impending judgment. Christ stands near, sounding the bell of repentance while the Demon pulls mortals toward destruction. We are taught that we should listen quietly to the whisperings of the Spirit so as not to fall victim to our lusts. With this in the upper left-hand corner we read: "Mira que te has de morir; Mira que no sabes quedo". On the left hand side it reads: "Mira que te mira Dios; Mira que te esta mirando"

The Cathedral's cloister

This is a "sillería" of the choir. You will note that the seat is tipped up so that the singer can stand. Often times they would have to stand for long periods so each seat was equipped with a "misericordia," a small seat that allowed the singer to bend his knees slightly and rest. "Misericordia" means "mercy." Thus, this is the "mercy seat."

One of the two facing organs just above the choir.

Inside the choir were seats for the king (left) and for the queen (right). There were placed opposite each other in the first position within the choir.

Just off of the Plaza Mayor is a small church, the Iglesia de San Miguel where Isabel of Castile was proclaimed Queen (later known as Isabel la Católica)