After seeing how things are done in the Beira Interior, with their ancient defenses to fend-off Leão and Castela, we are eager to see the Spanish side …
In 910AD, the old Asturian (Spain) princes moved their capital from Oviedo, on the Iberia Peninsula's northern shore, to León, a river city to the south. The princes fought their father, and they fought each other. They fought the Muslims, and they fought the Portuguese. In the centuries that followed a cautious stasis was achieved. The Portuguese and Spanish even married across the border, as we saw in Alfaiates …
Of the turn of the millennium, historian A. H. de Oliveira Marques tells us:
Four centuries of intermittent fighting had only brought Iberian Muslims and Christians closer together. Commercial and cultural relations were matched by many political alliances and personal contacts. Bearing in mind these were medieval times and that intolerance was rife, the Spaniards presented a rather surprising example of peaceful coexistence and religious respect. (A. H. de Oliveira Marques, "A Very Short History of Portugal", 2018)
The closest castle town on the 'other side' is Ciudad Rodrigo (pop. 12,513 in 2018); we choose to park at the Puerta de Santiago, which faces Portugal. We cross the Puente Romano and leave the car near the gate, hoping to locate someone to explain how we pay the meter (it appears to take ApplePay; it does not). As we approach the city, we sense the warmer tones of the masonry and the more comfortable scale of the streets and squares – as compared to the Portuguese aldeias.
We look for the symbols of this territory, lions and castles, and spot them right away. We turn the corner at the Casa de los Vázquez (early sixteenth century; the Correos is the post office), with its 'folded corner' window and door, and find a small plaza in front of the Paroquial San Isidro y San Pedro (twelfth century). We meet a nice lady who tells us, when at the parking station, 'just put your money in' – well, of course, why didn't we think of that?
There is quite a bit of traffic on the streets of Ciudad Rodrigo. The whitewash and pastel colors of Portugal are gone; there is only cream-colored stone in various subtle hues. The buildings are blocky and solid; the family crests are all on a tilt, and applied at the corners. There are windows of every shape from the mason's catalog, and a few new ones. There is some striking ironwork in the fan-windows and balconies. There are birds' nests on the bell towers.
We are drawn by the activity to the east, near the Puerta del Sol, where we discover a flea market in full swing. The market is outside the city walls, filling the paths and earthworks of the outer defenses. The merchandise does not look very good, but this is for the locals, not the tourists. Shoppers are looking to buy cheap. The merchants call out, some sing, and the happy atmosphere of the market is energizing.
We walk along the Rúa del Sol to the Plaza Mayor. We pass a wonderful neo-classic Doric church-front for the Capilla de la Venerable Orden Tercera (late eighteenth century). Conspicuous for its classicism and clarity, there is a bright figure above the archway, and more amazing ironwork.
At the Plaza Mayor, we find the magnificent Ayuntamiento (town hall), an intriguing 'corner-building' from the sixteenth century. Facing the Plaza, it is enclosed by two towers, and topped by a bell. The tower on the left holds the coat of arms of Castela y León (castle-lion, lion-castle), with a double-headed eagle (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V), and the chain of the Golden Order of the Fleece, with the 'dangling' lamb. To the left is the crest of the city (three Roman columns), and to the right is the provincial flag of Castela y León.
The columns have inverted capitals on the ground level, but proper 'in-the-round' Ionic capitals on the first. There are some animated portraits along low arches of the arcade, and in the roundels above.
There are several other buildings of note, especially on the north side the Plaza. In the middle of that side, is the Casa del Marqués de Cerralbo, with its swirling plateresco stone frieze. At the west end is the Palacio Antigua Audience (Cárcel Real), which served as the "royal audience" in addition to the royal prison; it is now a hotel. There appears to be a very special room with a glassed-in balcony right in the middle.
Down the Calle Toro, we stumble on another market at the Plaza del Buen Alcade, by the dome of the Capilla de Cerralbo. Most of the vendors set up under the arcades, but there are tables at the northern end of the Plaza, past the fountains and benches, where local artisans are weaving lace. The young ladies generously explain and show their samples. It's exquisite work, and fascinating that the lace is not woven on a flat board, but on complex patterns wrapped on round forms.
There are other vendors selling cheese as well as other local products and crafts. Unlike the flea market, these product look really appealing, but we cannot explore the town with a round of sheep cheese in a bag.
So we cross over to the Plaza Mazarrasa, on the other side of the Capilla. We check the restaurant there, hoping to have lunch, but it's closed. In fact, the whole Plaza looks shutdown. Now, we worry that the Catedral across the street will also shut for lunch, and it does.
The Catedral de Santa María de Ciudad Rodrigo, is a building of many parts. The oldest parts of the building date from 1168, about the time of the Portuguese castelos of the Beira Interior. The apse faces the Plaza Mazarrasa, so we first tour the buttresses around the east. There is a mix of Romanesque, Gothic, and even classical details at the very top.
The portada at the south transept is known as the Puerta de las Cadenas (the door of the chains). There is an off-center Romanesque archway, below a row of panels of the four evangelists and Christ at the center. Just to the right is a small Madonna and Child in a separate panel, with a narrow arched bay below. Above the larger arch, set on a string course, is a Gothic arcade with the twelve apostles. Above all this, centered on the facade, is a small rosette window, below an ogee arch.
Abutting this portion of the facade, still facing south, is a Baroque element, with three very intricate Corinthian columns (a fourth is missing), and sculpture niches. This reads as the outside of a chapel for a rich family, with crests and marks all around (Capilla del Pilar, mid-eighteenth century). The Cadenas and the Pilar create the signature forms that we see on all the souvenir bags and tourist graphics.
Completing the south facade, there are three bays of buttresses with multi-lobed Gothic windows and 'cannon' gargoyles. The Catedral turns to face the west, and becomes neo-classical: 'triumphal arch' doorway, Corinthian temple front, square tower block, double-arch and double-column Doric belfry, domed cap and lantern, and a cross on top. Most of the west elevation dates from the later eighteenth century. This facade looks onto the Plaza de Herrasti, with a monument to the heroes of the war for independence.
Evidence of this war, damage from cannon-fire, is visible all over the west facade – not Portugal's cannons, but Wellington's cannons.
The Catedral is indeed about to close, but not for lunch; there is to be a midday wedding. On the opposite side of the Plaza is a ramp and stair to the top of the fortress wall, so we decide to continue exploring, and return right after the nuptials.
From the northwest corner of the fortress, we follow the walls around the cloisters and an open square called the Plaza de Amayuelas. We can see that the 'asymmetry' of the Puerta de las Cadenas is 'symmetrical'. The Puerta Norte repeats the same 'asymmetry', but with Gothic geometry and decoration. Another gate, the Puerta de Amayuelas is on this side of the city walls.
The restaurant is still closed, so we leave the area of the Catedral from the Plaza de San Salvador, near the Puerta de las Cadenas. At the far end of the Plaza is the Casa de la Marquesa de Cartago (late nineteenth century) done in a restrained neo-Gothic style.
We turn left on the Calle de Santiago Sevillano, which transforms to a stairway, and leads to the Puerta de la Colada. The Álcázar de Enrique II de Trastámara comes into view. Eye-catching from a distance, it is now a swanky hotel, and the building does not seem accessible.
After lunch, we stop at the Plaza del Conde, which is just north of the Plaza de Alcade. The craft market in the Alcade is gone, so our chance for a souvenir cheese is gone, too. There are two large blocks in the Conde: the Palacio de los Castro (Ávila y Tiedra) and the Casa de los Cornejo. The nearby Palacio de Conde de Alba de Yeltes is now a bank. What a very grand neighborhood.
Outside the Porta del Conde, the flea market continues, overseen by a beautifully weathered Madonna and Child.
We continue to the west and arrive at the Catedral. The wedding is over; there are post-it notes everywhere (a Spanish tradition?). An Audi sedan sits curbside, covered in post-its – so we know the source. The bride and groom are just finishing their photos in the Plaza de Amayuelas; we cringe as she drags her dress train over the sandy dirt.
The Catedral is open for visitors and we enter through the Claustro. The galleries of the Claustro attached to the Catedral (east and south) date from the fourteenth century; the galleries along the fortress walls are from the sixteenth century. There are a variety of pointed-arch windows with three or four bays, creating rhythms throughout. There are quite a few small chapels and tombs embedded in the walls of the Claustro, some truly enchanting, though also damaged by their exposure to the weather.
In the east gallery, there is a passage into the central courtyard. Its densely decorated arches look almost Manueline, and pay homage to the architect of the church and the canon who managed the project in the sixteenth century – a generous gesture.
We approach the interior from the north transept. For a Gothic cathedral, the altar is starkly plain and features a modern-looking, 'floating' Assumption (having lost its previous and more traditional altarpieces). Below Her in the apse is a very dark painting of the Crucifixion; above Her, is a flash of lacy vaulting. But our attention is drawn to the elaborate and centrally located choir (not behind the altar in the sanctuary), which seems to interrupt and shorten the nave. We plan to investigate that later, and must peer around it for other points of interest.
Except for the apse vault, the stonework is surprisingly restrained. Looking up, we can see modest, almost comical figures have been carved into the springblocks and keystones. Almost all of the chapels include iron screens or gates of astonishing craftsmanship. The chapels in the transepts enclose tombs of local noble families. So the light from the clerestory sweeps over the stone, and sparkles against the metal and wood.
Installed between 1498 and 1504, the Coro Catedralicio is a real showpiece. A high, gated screen faces the altar, but the other three sides are enclosed. There are two enormous pipe organs separating the Coro from the church aisles, the one to the south is especially impressive. However, there is no obvious space for the organists to sit, even though the rest of the Coro is some of the most elaborate seating we've ever seen.
The seats fold up, but there are creatures underneath. These are beasts, chimeras, and grotesques. We imagine that when the choir is seated, the damned are 'sent below'. As in the Claustro, there is a steady rhythm to the bays, but there is also variation between the carvings in the canopies, the seat back panels, and the trim; no two things are identical.
On the exterior of the Coro, facing out to the aisles, there are tombs built into masonry. A small door with a nearly 'Manueline' surround allows access to the organ (maybe?). Interestingly, the tomb and door on the opposite side provide symmetry. The 'back' of the Coro, facing the church entrance, is unexpectedly neoclassical. To the north of the front portal is a Rococo chapel, which actually looks better when seen through the screen.
The Front entrance is an odd 'column-in-the-middle', split-bay portal. Known as the Pórtico de la Gloria (or Pórtico del Perdón, glory or forgiveness), it dates from the middle of the thirteenth century. The Pórtico stands inside the neo-classical facade (with the cannon damage), and is thus protected from the 'elements'.
Passing by the column and looking up, there is the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, surrounded by – well, everyone. There are six columns on each side of the Pórtico, an apostle on each one. Though Mary and the Child look posed, the apostles seem at ease, looking at each other, looking up, casually hanging out. For some reason, most of the apostles on the left hold scrolls, and on the right hold books. Among other signifiers, the first statue on the right, holding keys, must be St Peter.
Directly above Mary is a Last Supper, and the horizontal sequence appears to show scenes from Christ's life and martyrdom. A smaller frieze above appears to show scenes from Mary's life: Annunciation, Nativity, etc. Above that is a larger relief depicting the Coronation of the Virgin. And above that, the archivolts are simply encrusted with angels, blossoms, and so on. These 'rainbow' outward to the ceiling vault. Reading it requires focus as the lighting is harsh and the space limited. On the springblock to the left is a smiling figure swooping into the composition, and on the right is a poor fellow being consumed in the teeth of some beast; they seem to offer a choice.
To the south of the Pórtico is another brightly gilded neo-classical chapel; the gates are closed and that may be just as well. The interior of Capilla del Pilar is a Baroque tower, but dimly lit; difficult to make out what is going on (are those bishops dancing?). It's pretty, with splashes of red velvet, but from the exterior, we were expecting something more.
As we make our way out, we are now fascinated with the details we saw in the Catedral. Exiting by the Claustro, we pay special attention to the small creatures on the bases of the columns, the odd missing column, the syncopation, and the individuality in the carvings. There is so much humor and personality in the work.
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