Page 382 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

380  CENTR AL SP AIN

l Lerma a chapel in the north gallery.
The old pharmacy, just off the
Burgos. * 2,900. £ @ n Calle
Audiencia 6, 947 17 70 02 (closed cloister, has a display of jars from
Mon, except Aug). ( Wed. Talavera de la Reina (see p390).
_ Nuestra Señora de la Natividad The Benedictine community
(8 Sep). ∑ citlerma.com holds regular services in Greg-
orian chant in the Neo-Classical
The grandiose appearance of church by Ventura Rodríguez.
this town is largely due to the The monastery offers accom-
ambition of the notorious first modation for male guests.
Duke of Lerma (see p64), Felipe
III’s corrupt favourite and Environs
minister from 1598 to 1618. To the southwest lies the
He misused vast quantities of Garganta de la Yecla (Yecla
Spain’s new-found wealth on Gorge), where a path leads to
new buildings in his home town a narrow fissure cut by the river.
– all strictly Classical in style, Cloisters of the Monasterio de Santo To the northeast, the peaks
in accordance with pre vailing Domingo de Silos and wildlife reserve of the
fashion. At the top of the town, z Monasterio de Sierra de la Demanda extend
the Palacio Ducal, built in 1605 over into La Rioja.
as his residence, has been Santo Domingo
transformed into a parador. de Silos
There are good views over
the Río Arlanza from the arch- Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos).
ways near to the Convento de Tel 947 39 00 49. @ from Burgos.
Santa Clara and also from the Open 10am–1pm, 4:30–6pm Tue–
Sun. Closed pub hols. & 5 9am,
Colegiata de San Pedro church, 7pm Mon–Sat, 11am & 7pm Sun.
which has a bronze statue of ∑ abadiadesilos.es
the Duke’s uncle.
St Dominic gave his name to
the monastery he built in 1041
over the ruins of an abbey
destroyed by the Moors. It is
a place of spiritual and artistic
pilgrimage – its tranquil setting
has inspired countless poets.
Others come to admire the
beautiful Romanesque cloisters, The 15th-century castle of Peñaranda
whose capitals are sculpted in a de Duero
variety of designs, both symbol-
istic and realistic. The carvings on x Peñaranda de
the corner piers depict various Duero
scenes from the Bible and the
ceilings are cof fered in Moorish Burgos. * 580. @ n Calle
style. The body of St Dominic Trinquete 7. Tel 947 55 20 63
The narrow, sloping streets of the Old Town rests in a silver urn, supported (closed Mon, Sun pm). ( Fri.
_ Santiago (25 Jul), Santa Ana
of Lerma by three Romanesque lions, in
(26 Jul), Virgen de los Remedios
(8 Sep). ∑ penarandadeduero.es
Gregorian Plainchant
The castle of Peñaranda was
At regular intervals throughout the built during the Reconquest (see
day, the monks of Santo Domingo pp58–9) by the Castilians, who
de Silos sing services in plainchant, had driven the Moors back
an unaccompanied singing of Latin south of the Río Duero. From
texts in unison. The origins of chant its hilltop site, there are views
date back to the beginnings of down to one of the most
Christianity, but it was Pope Gregory charming villages in old Castile,
I (590–604) who codified this where pantiled houses cluster
manner of worship. It is an ancient around a huge church. The
and austere form of music which main square is lined with porti-
has found a new appeal with coed, timber-framed buildings
modern audiences. In 1994 a
recording of the monks became Manuscript for an 11th-century and the superb Renaissance
a surprise hit all over the world. Gregorian chant Palacio de Avellaneda. Framing
its main doorway are various
Ruins of San Juan de Duero Monastery in Soria

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