Salamanca - Spagna

Founded during the pre-Roman era by the Celtic tribe of the Vaccei the Castilian city of Salamanca It is the capital of the homonymous province Correctly nicknamed the golden city because of its many glittering sandstone buildings Salamanca is like ancient chest in which a true cultural treasure was sealed Its historical heart is the beautiful Baroque Plaza Mayor Built just 250 years ago it was designed by Alberto Churriguera An important Spanish Baroque architect In the Plaza Mayor the typical Castilian square reaches its aesthetic peak The project which has a basically baroque character is also strongly influenced by the Erregian style The movement took root in Spain during the Renaissance The timpani between the arches that frame the square each have a medallion with a portrait They are commemorative items that also serve an educational purpose Honor the monarchy evoke the history of Spa To celebrate the city's heroes and its most illustrious figures The Plaza de Anaya is dominated by the northern facade of the new cathedral the Catedral Nueva The cathedral we see here today features several styles including the Renaissance style being originally built in the Gothic style This is a consequence of the time required for construction more than 200 years Immediately adjacent and to the south of the New Cathedral There is the old Romanesque Cathedral Santa Maria della Sede The entrance is from the southern nave of the New The old cathedral is among the most splendid Spanish buildings of its time The construction began around 1100 and was probably completed before 1200 The square between the two cathedrals is called Patio Chico The exterior of the cathedral is richly decorated with motifs from the Hispano-Flemish school In fashion during the time of the Catholic Kings Gold coins floral motifs and relief sculptures depicting the life of Christ The plateresque decoration with inspiration from everyday life in a typically ironic way The plateresque was an architectural style widely used in Spain and the Spanish colonies in the New World Towards the end of the 15th century and the 16th The name comes from the fact that this style was decorated with the finest silverwork It is a style characterized by intricate raised decorative elements Drawn from Moorish Gothic and Italian Renaissance elements and applied to very different structures The main facade facing Calle Cardenal Playa y Daniel It is in the flamboyant Gothic style and features multiple decorations The tympanum is adorned with two different low reliefs a Nativity and an Adoration of the Magi A third scene in relief shows Christ on the cross In the typically Spanish taste for decoration the structure remained in the background while the portals and other architectural details were adorned with rich decoration It is further highlighted by the plain façades Entering the New Cathedral of Salamanca one is immediately amazed by the vault's design From the fineness of the cornices and the sense of great elevation given by the columns Inside the decoration is lavish and elegant The choir and the retrochoir the wall that encloses the choir The main nave dates back to the early 18th century And they are the work of architect Alberto Ciurriguera The interior of the cathedral reaches impressive dimensions With its 104 meters in length and 48 meters in width It is a space that conveys a sense of vastness The eight windows of the lantern are highlighted by a tympanum They depict scenes from the life of the Virgin which date back to the 18th century The dome above the main altar painted in gold and vibrant colors It is the work of Juan Montego The ornate organ was built in 1568 by Damien Louis While the Ciurriguera organ dates back to 1745 The construction of the new cathedral reflects the evolution of urban development With its grandeur this building showcases the power of the Church Both in front of his ideological enemies and before the flock of the faithful The main altar of the old cathedral It presents one of the most important paintings of Salamanca The work dates from 1445 and is by Niccolò Fiorentino The Gothic convent of San Esteban from the 16th century is one of the most significant buildings in the city The gilded brown plastered facade It is a true and proper stone altarpiece arranged in various groups and rows The upper part of the Church depicts the Crucifixion a work by Cellini The central section features a stone relief of the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen The missions of the Dominican Order reached their peak during the 16th century Already before the end of the Middle Ages Portuguese Dominican friars They had rounded the Cape of Good Hope with the explorers They had founded missions in Africa Goa Sri Lanka Thailand and Malacca In continuation of the tradition of monastic architecture The Square Cloister located at the southern end of the main church is two stories high The lower level serves in a way as a shield With arched windows divided into four lights by slender square columns The inner courtyard of the Cloister features a splendid mix of Gothic and Renaissance elements Known by two names the King's Cloister and the Procession Cloister The Cloister is characterized by a vault decorated with beautifully intricate patterns The lower level features rounded arches with delicate columns medallions and a star vault At the upper level however the Gothic elements are replaced by arches The purely Renaissance decorative motifs The Monastery Church was designed by Juan de Alava and construction began in 1524 It has a Latin cross shape with a single wide nave and two side chapels between the buttresses The gilded altarpiece is from 1693 He is among the most significant works of the sculptor José Churriguera By contrast the three side altars are the work of his students To the left of the main altar is the tomb of the Duke of Alba governor of the Spanish Netherlands Above the elevated choir a large fresco by Antonio Palomino decorates the western wall the Triumph of the Church The construction of the University of Salamanca was ordered by Pope Benedict XIII and began in 1411 The main facade built in 1529 between two buttresses It represents the archetype of the style that became most famous under the name of Salamanca Plateresque The House of the Unfastened Shell or the House of Shells built in 1514 It is a beautiful example of late Gothic and is strongly influenced by Italian civil architecture The Maldonado family crest is depicted on the walls and around the windows of Rodrigo Maldonado de Talavera's town hall palace Knight of the Order of Santiago Maldonado had the façade decorated with 300 scallops a symbol of Saint James As the sun changes position throughout the day The sculpted decoration brings to life ever-changing plays of light and shadow Inside the building right in the center opens the traditional Spanish courtyard This one features two overlapping covered galleries The aesthetic features of the courtyard bear witness to coexistence The different artistic influences in 15th-century Spain and the early 16th century For example the ground-floor arches feature Renaissance marble columns Gothic motifs and Moorish-inspired decoration Today the House of Shells is the headquarters of the Public Library Salamanca which now has 180 000 residents has grown to the point where it offers the advantages of a true city Yet it retains the intimate atmosphere of a small village The Spanish spoken by the residents of Salamanca is considered the purest form of Spanish Castilian Because of this the city is famous around the world as an ideal destination for learning Spanish Thanks to its architecture the residents of Salamanca live in an authentic land of wonders They can enjoy the city's collection of Romanesque chapels every day along with tourists and students ornate facades and baroque squares In the evening the cathedrals are visible from any point in the city Christianity made its first appearance in Salamanca just before 600 AD With the decline of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the Visigoths In the eighth century however the massive Muslim invasion of Spain abruptly ended the Visigothic rule Salamanca and the surrounding area were under the rule of the Muslim empire for several centuries The city of Salamanca once again captured the interest of Christendom and was later repeatedly conquered lost and recaptured The old town of Salamanca was included by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1988