Tag: spain

Postcard from Segovia, Spain: Sumptuous cathedral honors saintly hermit

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On the spot where Isabel was crowned Queen of Castile in 1474, Charles V (1500-1558) had the cornerstone laid for a monumental Gothic cathedral in Segovia. He would not live to see its completion, as construction spanned more than two centuries. Formal consecration took place in July of 1768.

Back in the seventh century, when the parents of Frutos died, he and his two siblings sold all their inherited worldly goods and each retreated to their own little hollowed-out cave to live as pious hermits. Moors killed his brother and sister, but Frutos drew a line (kind of like Travis at the Alamo?) in the dirt and suggested they not dare cross it. Some foolish Moorish soldiers could not resist the challenge, and a giant fissure opened up in the rocks to conveniently swallow and crush them. This miracle allowed Frutos to live to die a natural death.

Relics of the three saints are housed in the Cathedral, with Frutos primarily honored as the city’s patron.

Alternate spellings of the saint’s name include Fructos, which leads to much confusion as to whether he blesses inclusion of corn syrup in prepared foods today.

Postcard from Segovia, Spain: Falling in love seems so easy

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Those clever Romans always took care of business, making sure the water supply was adequate however far afield they marched and conquered. In Segovia, they left behind a monumental aqueduct of graceful arches constructed of 25,000 granite blocks assembled without mortar. It still stands.

The successful cultivation of industry based on Merino wool at the end of the Middle Ages swelled the city’s population to 27,000 before 1600. Major declines countered by investment by royals punctuated by Rip-van-Winkle periods combined to create a picture-book city unspoiled by modernization. This is a city where they care enough about aesthetics to pay attention to the textures of building walls and how every window is framed.

With a population of little more than 50,000, Segovia is a city of narrow streets and a multitude of plazas where pedestrians rule. On streets where cars are allowed, few automobiles venture. The going within the old city walls is simply too slow to tempt drivers to navigate there unless absolutely necessary. Large trucks and buses just don’t fit. In other words, residents and tourists can wander freely and fearlessly.

And the setting of the historic center is beautiful. Outside most of the ancient walls encircling the city’s 3,000-foot hilltop perch, one is plunged immediately into verdant countryside framed by a few low mountains whose tops still are stained by snow. Plus, this place has the most magical merry-go-ground I’ve ever seen.

Once again, I’ve fallen in love, so am throwing a few random photos your way….

 

 

 

Postcard from Lisboa, Portugal: Too Many Tiles and a Few Juicy Royal Tidbits

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The influence of the Moors and world exploration opening doors to the art forms of India and the Orient are evident in the tile designs augmenting architecture throughout Portugal. The photographs here are from Museu Nacional do Azulejo, the National Tile Museum.

The home of the tiles is the Convent and Church of Madre de Deus, founded in 1509 by Queen Dona Leonor (1458-1525). The gilded church and large collection of reliquaries containing remnants of saints seem fit for a queen, and the queen did indeed spend her retirement years there praying for the poor and presumably for the souls of deceased members of the royal family who played parts in the lethal jockeying for political power and rights to the throne.

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Tile overload? Sorry, I have no power to resist them.

But, here, pause to take in some of the court conniving surrounding the family of Queen Leonor.

Leonor was only 12 years old when she wed Prince Joao (John) (1455-1495). She became queen consort when her husband rose to the throne as King John II in 1481.

Perhaps wisely so, King John II perceived many plots and conspiracies swirling about during the early years of his reign, and relatives of his wife were among the prime suspects. The King had her sister’s husband executed for treason and personally plunged in the sword ending the life of her older brother. The Bishop of Evora was imprisoned, where he succumbed to poison.

Their son Alonso (1475-1491) married into the royal family of neighboring Castille. Unfortunately, his in-laws, King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella, only had one feeble and frail son. They viewed Alonso’s marriage into the family as a potential threat to the sovereignty of Spain. Prince Alonso died under suspicious circumstances while out riding, contributing yet one more thorn to the relationship between the countries sharing the Iberian Peninsula.

This left the crown of Portugal without an heir apparent, and King John II lobbied hard to propel his illegitimate son into that role. Queen Leonor did not welcome those efforts and even appealed to the Pope for intervention.

King John II died unexpectedly early at only 40 years of age, quite possibly the victim of one of the poisonous plots he feared. The crown passed on to the Queen’s brother, Manuel I (1469-1521), as explorations were launching Portugal’s golden age.