Page 172 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

170  NOR THERN SP AIN REGION B Y REGION

Gothic, but with a preserved n Burgos
Romanesque portal and a Burgos (Castilla y León). Road Map F3.
Spanish Baroque tower. Also * 179,000. £ @ n Calle Nuño
worth seeing is the Romanesque Rasura 7; 947 28 88 74. ( Fri, Sat, Sun.
Iglesia de Santa Cecilia, with _ San Pedro and San Pablo (29 Jun).
its beauti ful leaning tower. Its ∑ turismoburgos.org
interior has column capitals
bearing plant motifs and scenes Burgos was established in 884
of the Slaughter of the Innocents. for military reasons. Over the cen-
A few medieval bridges also turies, the city transformed into
survive in Aguilar. an important commercial and
religious centre, and became the
seat of Spanish monarchs and
b Frómista
The eclectic Colegiata de San Miguel in magnates. Burgos experienced
Aguilar de Campoo Palencia (Castilla y León). Road Map F3. its Golden Age in the 16th
* 850. n C/ Francesa 41; 979 81 01 century when it enjoyed a mono-
c Briviesca 28. ( Fri. _ San Telmo (1st Sun after poly on the Castilian wool trade.
Burgos (Castilla y León). Road Map G2. Easter), La Virgen del Otero (8 Sep). Several gateways, including
* 7,200. £ @ n C/Santa Marta ∑ fromista.com the Arco de San Esteban, have
Encimera 1; 947 59 39 39. _ Nuestra survived from the original forti-
Señora and San Roque (15–16 Aug). Tiny Frómista features tradi tional fications. The grandest gateway
∑ turismo-briviesca.com houses built in adobe – sundried is the Arco de Santa María,
brick made from clay and straw – built in 1553 in the style of a
Briviesca was originally located but the village is chiefly famous triumphal arch in honour of
in the nearby hills, but in the for its Romanesque Iglesia de Carlos I; its façade, designed by
14th century it was moved San Martín, with harmonious Juan de Vallejo, is carved with
lower down to its present site. proportions and sculptural statues of dignitaries and
The town’s best-known decoration. Restored to its contains a figure of the Virgin.
monument is the 16th-century original appearance, it has three The city’s showpiece is the
Convento de Santa Clara, with apses, the central one being cathedral (see pp172–3). The
a Renaissance walnut reredos taller than the others; likewise, spires crowning its towers are
carved with scenes depicting the nave is taller than the aisles. visible from all over Burgos.
the Tree of Jesse and the Way of An octagonal tower rises Inside the Gothic Iglesia de San
the Cross. On the Plaza Mayor above the transept, with Nicolás is a stone reredos by
stands the Iglesia de San two cylindrical towers
Martín, with a 16th-century crowning the façade.
Plateresque façade. Nearby is The portals are decora-
a 17th-century Ayuntamiento ted with human and
(town hall) with a clock tower animal figures as well
and three coats of arms. There as plant motifs. Similar
are also coats of arms on many decoration can be
of the other houses from seen on the capitals
Briviesca’s Golden Age. of the columns inside
the church – note
v Aguilar de how the fable of the
Raven and the Fox
Campoo is presented. Arco de Santa María in Burgos
Palencia (Castilla y León). Road Map F2.
* 7,000. £ @ n Paseo Cascajera El Cid (1043–99)
10; 979 12 36 41. ( Tue. _ San Juan
and San Pedro (24–29 Jun). Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was born of a noble family
in Vivar del Cid, north of Burgos. He served
Aguilar de Campoo is a well- Fernando I, but was banished from Castile after
preserved medieval town. becoming embroiled in the fratricidal squab bles of
Rising above it is an 11th- to the king’s sons, Sancho II and Alfonso VI. He switched
12th-century castle, built on allegiance to fight for the Moors, then switched again,
the ruins of a Celtic castro. capturing Valencia for the Christians in 1094,
ruling the city until his death. For his heroism he
The houses and palaces in the was named El Cid, from the Arabic Al-Sidi (Lord).
town, including the Palacio de He was a charismatic man of courage, but it was
Manrique, are decorated with the poem El Cantar del Mío Cid (1180) that
coats of arms; identical ones can immortalized him as a Christian hero.
be seen on the massive tower of
the Colegiata de San Miguel. Statue of El Cid, hero of the Reconquest
This eclectic church is mainly
For hotels and restaurants see pp206–7 and pp221–2

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