Alcazar at Segovia

Alcazar at Segovia

 

Location: Segovia
Phone: (921) 46 07 59
 (921) 46 07 59
Transport: bus 2 (from train station)
Hours: Mar-Aug 10am - 9pm Sep-Feb 10am - 8pm

www.alcazardesegovia.com

 

The Alcazar of Segovia, dating from the early 12th century, is one of the most famous medieval castles in the world and one of the most visited monuments in Spain. Twenty-two kings have passed through its rooms, as well as some of the most prominent figures in history.

Its imposing profile rises majestically over the Eresma valley and is a symbol of the Old City of Segovia, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Palace and fortress of the Kings of Castile, its layout reflects the splendor of the Court during the Middle Ages, and its walls have witnessed battles, palace intrigues, royal weddings and amazing events. In its millennial existence, the Alcázar has been a Roman fort, medieval fortress, royal palace, custodian of the royal treasury, state prison, Royal College of Artillery and General Military Archive.

The fortification has Roman foundations, probably the remains of an old fort, although the true history of the Alcázar -which only has its name in Arabic- begins with the Reconquest, whose evolution coincides with that of the castle, although with important later remodeling, such as the roof of slate that Felipe II ordered to be made and that makes the Alcazar of Segovia the "most European" castle on the peninsula, being one of the most notable examples of a military fortress and a unique case in the history of Spanish and European architecture, castle and royal palace, which its nickname indicates: "alcáçar", with which it was already known in 1135, when Alfonso VII reigned as emperor.

Orson Welles used it in Chimes at Midnight, and it is also widely believed that its slender and elegant outline was one of the inspirations used by Walt Disney for his Cinderella castle, which in turn became the famous icon of the Disney company movies.

Artillery Colonel Eduardo de Oliver-Copóns wrote in 1916 that the Alcázar is "the perfect model of the fantastic castles described in their travel romances by the ingenious wandering troubadours who crossed all the regions in search of the worthy lady, for their perfections, to occupy his thoughts and make his heart fall in love, for at the foot of the walled enclosure where he was locked up, to sing his trovas and play his zithers».

 

History

Segovia between the 5th century B.C. C. and and the 11th century AD. c.
The oldest remains found in the place are granite ashlars similar to those of the Roman aqueduct, which suggests that in times of Roman domination of the city there must already have been a castro or fortification. On the remains of this, the fortress was erected as a fortress.

The Alcázar during the first centuries of the Middle Ages (1088-1369)
The first documentary news that is preserved of the building dates from the year 1122, shortly after Alfonso VI of León reconquered the city, although it was not until 1155 when it was mentioned under the name of Alcázar, in a letter kept in the cathedral archives. .

It was the residence of King Alfonso VIII. In 1258, during the reign of Alfonso X, the palace collapsed when the king was inside. This oldest nucleus corresponds to the weapons room. It was numerous times restored and enlarged, possibly from Alfonso X to Felipe II. Its current appearance is due to the latter, its "silhouette" makes it unique among Spanish castles.

Royal Palace of the Trastámara (1369-1516)
In the Middle Ages, due to its safety as well as its proximity to hunting areas, the Alcázar became one of the favorite residences of the Kings of Castile, especially Alfonso X. It was inhabited many times and became one of the most sumptuous palace-castles in the 15th century, being a silent witness to key events in the history of Spain such as the proclamation of Isabel la Católica (December 13, 1474) or the vigil mass between Felipe II and Ana de Austria (December 14, 1474). November 1570) in his chapel.

King Alfonso X “el Sabio” summoned Cortes in 1256, the first to take place in the Alcázar. The remodeling, expansion and decoration of the Alcázar, which began with Catherine of Lancaster in 1412 and which would reach its peak during the reign of Enrique IV, made it a building admired by all the travelers who came to it.

The Alcázar had gone from its strict military function to being a large institutional building where the royal treasury, the kingdom's archives and the royal armory were kept. This change will take shape in the decoration of various rooms. As far as the archive is concerned, it was Juan II and Enrique IV who, in truth, systematically began the task of safeguarding historical documentation. It is recorded that, in 1437, Juan II ordered various records to be transferred to the Alcázar "to my archive of the city of Segovia", which implies the existence of one of the first royal archives of Castile.

It was during the reigns of Juan II (1406-1454) and his son Enrique IV (1454-1474) that the Alcázar reached its peak, both for the role it played in the complex political game of those turbulent years and for the active life culture that took place there and its splendid decoration.

The Alcázar and the first monarchs of the House of Austria (1516-1621)
The House of Austria (1516-1621) hardly used the building. However, it will still have a relevant role in two moments: the War of the Communities (1520-21) and the wedding of Felipe II with Ana of Austria (1570).

The Alcázar in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries (1621-1862)
state prison
Since the Middle Ages, the Alcázar had occasionally served as a prison for famous people, but from the first decades of the 17th century the fortress permanently assumed the function of a state prison, just like the Bastille, in France, or the Tower of London. , In England.

Disgraced noblemen such as Don Álvaro de Luna and other imaginaries such as Don Torcuato from Jovellanos's "El Delincuente Honrado" spent painful days in its narrow and cold prisons, a function that he performed until the 20th century, when the Republican government imprisoned the man there. General Berenguer, in 1931, due to his intervention, being president of the Council of Ministers, during the last months of the Monarchy, against the unsuccessful pronouncement of Jaca.

During the reigns of Felipe IV and Carlos II, the last monarchs of the House of Austria, many politically important figures passed through their cells. The most significant was undoubtedly Francisco de Guzmán y Zúñiga, Marquis of Ayamonte, arrested in 1644 for participating in the conspiracy of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who was executed in Segovia four years later. Another notable prisoner was the French nobleman Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, who was imprisoned in 1648 after his participation in the Sicilian insurrection and was released from him five years later.

Among the most picturesque prisoners who passed through the Alcázar is the Italian Vincenzo Lupati, locked up in 1636 for having defrauded the crown by offering to turn any metal into gold and who was finally executed. Mention may also be made of Maria Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazzarino and wife of Italian nobleman Lorenzo Colonna, who in 1680 spent several months in the fortress after abandoning her husband and refusing to return to him.

Another important prisoner was the Baron de Montigny, brother of the Count of Horn, arrested and imprisoned in the Alcázar in September 1567 for his participation in a conspiracy in Madrid. Although there were several attempts to free him, he was eventually transferred to the castle of Simancas and executed in October 1568. Other famous prisoners at the Alcázar include the Counts of Triviño and Miranda, as well as Prince Don Carlos.

Royal College of Artillery (1764-1862)
In 1762 Carlos III founded the Royal College of Artillery in Segovia, whose first director was Count Félix Gazzola. The College was installed on May 16, 1764 and remained in the Alcázar, with slight parentheses. This educational center soon became a benchmark, and the best and most perfect exponent of enlightened military education.

In February 1792, as one more office of the artillery teaching center, a large chemistry laboratory was inaugurated in a building very close to the Alcázar (Casa de la Química). The most highly paid scientist of the Spanish Enlightenment, the chemist Louis Proust, joined the laboratory at the head of the laboratory. in its genre.

The objective of setting up this laboratory was to complete the curriculum of the Cadets with a cabinet in which the study of natural history and chemistry, especially metallurgy, would be facilitated. In this laboratory the French chemist carried out his research, closing the formulation of the Law of Definite Proportions.

In modern times (1862-present)
The fire of 1862
In 1862, a fire destroyed the sumptuous roofs of the noble rooms, which could be faithfully reconstructed later, thanks to the existence of engravings made by José María Avrial y Flores in 1839.

In 1898, the General Military Archive was installed on the first floor of the building, which is still in the Alcázar today.

In 1931 it was declared a historic artistic monument.

The Alcázar was also used as a prison during the Republic, when the republican government imprisoned General Berenguer there in 1931 because of his intervention during the last months of the Monarchy of Alfonso XIII

Creation of the Board of the Alcázar
By Decree of January 18, 1951, the Board of Trustees of the Alcázar de Segovia was created with the mission of regulating the use of the building and its annexes for the benefit of the cultural heritage; ensure the conservation, entertainment and artistic protection of the monument; and encourage the public to enjoy a "Museum of the Alcázar de Segovia" that is an archive of memories to preserve the memory of its triple aspect of Alcázar Regio, Military Enclosure and Royal College of Artillery.

Last official act as monarch of Juan Carlos I
The commemorative act of the 250th of the Royal College of Artillery, held in the Alcazar of Segovia on May 16, 2014, was presided over by King Juan Carlos I, being the last official act he attended, before announcing the abdication of he.

Currently
Currently, the Alcazar of Segovia is one of the monuments in Europe that arouses the most interest. Its management is a unique example in terms of dissemination and conservation of historical and artistic heritage, with the advantage that visits generate sufficient income to guarantee the maintenance, security and safeguarding of an impressive historical legacy.

 

Description

The distribution of the castle is divided into two areas: the exterior, with a Herrerian patio, moat, drawbridge and keep, and the interior rooms that include a chapel and several noble rooms (the Throne room, the Galera room, the las Piñas, de los Reyes and others) that can be visited today.

Its plant is very irregular and adapts to the hill on which it stands. The very beautiful keep stands out, square with five towers, a room covered with a pointed cannon and mullioned windows. It was built when King Juan II was in power and at first it served as a weapons room.

Inside, the halls and rooms were decorated with great luxury and beauty by painters and Mudejar artists.

 

Tower of John II

The Tower of Juan II was built between 1440 and 1465 and is considered a great example of Spanish Gothic-civil architecture.

This tower was used as a state prison, like the Bastille or the Tower of London, and was a symbol of the absolute power of the Hispanic monarchy, with a singular list of illustrious prisoners, who were confined in the most protected and secure enclosure in strength.

It sits on top of a previous tower from the 13th century, of which a Mudejar window of Almohad influence has been preserved. Its impressive 80 meters high are divided into three floors thanks to three lines of imposts.

It is decorated on the outside with circular sgraffito motifs and topped with battlements, some of them decorated with the shields of Castile.

The top can be accessed after climbing 152 steps via a spiral staircase. The spectacular 360º views of the city and its natural environment that can be enjoyed from above make the effort worthwhile: A beautiful view of the old city of Segovia, the Fuencisla Sanctuary, built next to some rocks in the lower part of the city; the Jewish cemetery, preserved next to the old Jewish quarter; the Church of La Vera Cruz, an old Templar church with an unusual dodecagonal plan; the Monastery of El Parral and the neighborhoods of San Marcos and Zamarramala.

 

The Gallery or Terrace of Moors

Serving as a plinth for the Alcázar façade, a walled terrace extends along the entire front: it is the Gallery or Terrace of Moors, so called because Enrique IV's Moorish guard stood sentinel over it.

Until the fire of 1862, it was covered by a wide slate roof -as it appears in engravings from the Romantic period- which, if it added grace to the whole, made the great tower less slender.

The moat and the entrance to the castle
To access the castle, it is necessary to cross a defensive moat 26 meters deep. This moat, which was always dry, used to be crossed by a drawbridge, but now it is crossed by a stone bridge built during the reign of Philip II and an iron footbridge.

The moat is of natural origin and was dug over the centuries, using the stones extracted for the construction of the castle. At the bottom of the pit, at a depth of 23 meters, you can still see some half-cut ashlars that were never used.

The gully of the moat, which must have originated from a natural cut in the rock, was enlarged by Enrique IV and then again during the remodeling works on the castle promoted by Felipe II. In the times of Enrique IV, it was used to keep bears and was used to extract stone for the construction of the castle's defenses.

To the left of the ditch, at the southern end of the gully, you can see a part of it with the morphology it must have had in the time of Enrique IV and that was not enlarged during the reform of Felipe II.

 

Interior rooms

Ajimeces Hall or the Old Palace
This was the main room of the old Alcázar: a large rectangular space that constituted the main room of the so-called Palacio Mayor of the old residence of the Burgundian dynasty, scene of the festive celebrations of the court.

It is one of the oldest in the Alcázar, dating back to the twelfth century with King Alfonso VIII. This room is, therefore, one of those that correspond to the primitive Alcázar.

It has its entrance from the parade ground and owes its name to the four double windows or mullioned windows that, before the reforms carried out by Enrique IV, fell outside the Eresma in the time of King Alfonso VIII. In architecture, the window that is made up of two identical arches linked by a small column or pillar called a mullion is known as a mullioned window or mullion. These windows then opened onto a terrace that, later covered, became the Galley Room. The windows that can be found here are also known as festejadores because in them the fiancées sat to talk.

The windows have curious Mudejar paintings on their plinths that represent large birds, similar to ostriches and some remains of Mudejar paintings in red on a white background, known as lacerías. These paintings bear witness to the original organization of the room and the taste of the Castilian monarchs for Islamic ornamentation.

Currently, it also houses an impressive composition of horses and knights, caparisoned and armed for tournaments with magnificent steel armor, as well as other varied armor of different types and distributed by room, all of them donated by the Lázaro Galdiano Foundation.

The Mudejar-style plinths located between the windows, known as lacerías, are one of the most outstanding manifestations of the Islamic tradition in painting in Segovia. They are part of the original decoration of the Old Palace and remains of paintings found in a reform carried out in the Casa de Argila, a 13th-century house in the nearby Canonjías neighborhood.

These paintings are characterized by the fresco technique and by the use of a reddish tone as a base, obtained from an iron oxide known as red ocher.

The lacerations were made between the 12th and 14th centuries and were known in late-medieval documentation as "Moorish painting" or "ribbon painting". Its origin dates back to the Cordovan caliphate and they continued to be used in a less prominent way in the 16th and 17th centuries.

 

Fireplace room

It corresponds to the ordination of the fortress in the time of Felipe II. The furniture is from the 16th century. On the walls you can see a portrait of Felipe II and another of Felipe III, a 16th century Flemish tapestry with the theme of the betrothal of Our Lady and a curious representation where you can see the appearance of the fortress prior to the reform of the roofs and where you can also see the old cathedral of Santa María that was located in the current plazuela del alcázar.

 

Throne or Throne Room

The doorway that communicates with the Fireplace Room preserves its original Mudejar decoration intact. The room is covered by an octagonal frame, similar to the one destroyed by the fire, which was carved in 1456. Below is a wide plaster frieze that maintains its original decoration despite the ravages of the fire.

The thrones under a canopy with the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs and their motto "Tanto mounta" are the work of the beginning of the century. On the walls are portraits of the kings themselves, which are part of the iconography of kings commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II. The portrait of Queen Isabel is signed by Madrazo and that of Don Fernando by Montañés.

The stained glass window in the window represents Enrique IV of Castile and is the work of the Segovian artist Carlos Muñoz de Pablos, also the author of the stained glass windows that can be seen in the other rooms.

Hall of the Galley or Hall of Ambassadors
It gets its name from the old coffered ceiling that was in the shape of an inverted ship's hull.

The room was built by Queen Catherine of Lancaster in 1412, during the minority of her son Juan II of Castile. The frieze is Mudejar plasterwork with a double inscription: the upper one with a Eucharistic prayer and the lower one with data on the execution of the room.

Originally, it was called the Ambassadors' Room and was the place where guests waited for an audience with royalty.

According to the chronicles and travelers, it was the most beautiful room in the Alcázar and was covered by "the most splendid armor of the palace", made of gilt and polychrome wood, very similar to that of the main chapel of the convent church of Santa Clara de Tordesillas.

After the roof disappeared, during the fire of March 6, 1862, the Board of Trustees of the Alcázar carried out its reconstruction in the year 2000, based on the drawings made by Avrial twenty-five years before its disappearance. The five-panel armor, combed with moamare files and made of cedar wood, was built by the Valladolid carpenter Juan Givaja with the help of a large group of artisans, according to a project by the architect Merino de Cáceres.

It rests on an arrocabe of muqarnas and ribbons, and the gilding of the set required a total of four kilos of gold, applied in very fine loaves, within a patient and meticulous labor of artisans and specialists, over several months. The lower frieze is the only original part of the set, surviving from the fire.

On the south wall you can see the conformation of the north façade of the Old Palace, now the Sala de Ajimeces, before the gallery bay was attached to it.

In the windows there are two stained glass windows by Muñoz de Pablos that represent Enrique II el de las Mercedes, founder of the Trastámara dynasty, a bastard branch of the house of Burgundy, and Enrique III el Doliente, grandson of the former. In addition, there is the murder of Pedro the Cruel by his half-brother Enrique II and the death of Enrique II's son as a result of a fall from a horse. These stained glass windows are based on miniatures made by Hernando de Ávila in the 16th century, the originals of which are preserved in the Monastery of El Escorial.

 

The mural by Carlos Muñoz de Pablos 'The proclamation of Queen Elizabeth'

One of the walls is decorated with a painting, the work of the aforementioned Muñoz de Pablos. which represents the proclamation of Queen Isabel the Catholic as Queen of Castilla and León in the atrium of the old church of San Miguel de Segovia, a key moment in the history of Spain. The mural shows Isabel la Católica standing, surrounded by important figures of the time. The white color of Isabel's dress accentuates her prominence in the work.

The Spanish artist paid special attention to the representation of the characters and the integration of the mural in the environment of the gallery room of the Alcázar in Segovia. In addition, Muñoz de Pablos included portraits of some of the descendants of the knights who participated in the proclamation of Isabella, which gives the work a personal and unique touch. He also emphasizes the involvement of the nobility and the powers that be in Elizabeth's proclamation as queen. In this way, Muñoz de Pablos included in the mural characters such as Juan de Contreras and López de Ayala (Marquis of Lozoya), the chronicler Mariano Grau, the soldier Francisco Sintes Obrador and the soldier Enrique de Ocerín y García. He also included the artist's assistant, Vicente Llorente, and the artist's brother, Ángel Muñoz de Pablos. In addition to friends and acquaintances, Muñoz de Pablos portrayed his wife, Eulalia Ruiz, and her daughter Carla, who appear leaning out of a gallery on the far right of the mural.

Muñoz de Pablos invites you to pay attention to some details, such as a banner of the nobility, an object that was present at the proclamation and is now kept in the church of San Martín; the relief of the figure of San Miguel that appears on the façade of this church; the cross that reflects the consecration of this temple or a dove that appears perched on a small window.

Hall of Pineapples
Its name is due to the decoration motifs on the coffered ceiling. In the frieze angels can be seen carrying the coat of arms of Castilla y León. The stained glass window represents Alfonso VII with his daughter Berenguela.

royal chamber
On its walls you can see scenes from the family life of the Catholic Monarchs. The bed has a gold woven brocade cover.

room of the kings
Felipe II commissioned Hernando de Ávila to design the statues corresponding to the kings of Asturias, León and Castilla. One of the paintings in the room is a portrait of Felipe II himself and the other two are portraits of two of his wives, Elizabeth of Valois and Anne of Austria.

Cord room
Its name comes from the fact that it is surrounded by walls, with a long golden cord. It represents the Franciscan cord for penance of Alfonso X for his excessive pride.

 

Chapel

There is a chapel in the cordon room from which the King or Queen heard the mass.

Weapons Room or Royal Armory
The fortress housed the armory of the House of Trastámara from its inception and was the precedent for the collections of weapons that were finally brought together in the Royal Armory of Madrid.10

The Armory is a room that reflects the military style of the Alcázar and has a pointed barrel vault and two mullioned windows.

It is located on the ground floor of the Tower of Homage and currently houses a large number of pieces of armor, swords, spears, halberds, mortars, culverins and bombards, as well as old heraldic flags.

Also in the room is a crossbow known as the Charles V crossbow, which is believed to have belonged to the emperor and stands out for its ornamental richness and its resemblance to the one seen in a painting by Lucas Cranach.

 

Treasure chamber

A small door in the Alcázar's Weapons Room, with a delicate Romanesque grille, from the Segovian fortress palace known as the Tower of Hercules, gives access to the old treasure chamber where, until the time of the Catholic Monarchs, the funds of the Kingdom of Castile and the title deeds of the kingdom, known as "Treasure of the Alcázares of Segovia".

The Alcázar was, in addition to the Royal Palace of Castilla, guardian of the fabulous treasures of the Trastámara. The treasurer of the fortress was in charge of its custody, which together with the warden, were undoubtedly the oldest trades of all those that have existed in Segovia, with their origin in the years 1088.

The chronicles say that the last money that came from here went to pay for Columbus' trip to the Indies and when the Catholic Queen died, most of the royal treasury had been lost.

Today the treasure chamber only houses some old chests with sophisticated security locks, as testimony of what it was like in ancient times.

Museum of the Royal College of Artillery
It is located on one of the sides of the Patio de Armas, extending through the southern area. It serves as a sample of the years in which the Alcázar served as an Artillery College. It exhibits documents, models, weapons, and uniforms from the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

General Military Archive of Segovia

It also houses the General Military Archive of Segovia, the oldest historical archive of the Spanish Armed Forces.

 

In popular culture

The Alcázar was the inspiration for some of the most iconic Walt Disney movies. The similarities between Segovia and Cinderella can be found in the brick facade of the buildings, the towers, and the location. It also served to build the Queen's castle in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The Kings and Throne rooms of the Alcazar of Segovia were the spaces used for the filming of the film by John Glenn Christopher Columbus: The Discovery. The scenes represent the meeting that the Catholic Monarchs had with Columbus in the medieval Segovian fortress before the discoverer undertook a trip to America and included among other actors Marlon Brando, Tom Selleck and Raquel Ward.
Mister Arkadin (Mr. Arkadin) (1955) by Orson Welles had as one of its settings the Alcázar de Segovia, the protagonist's castle.
The Princess of Eboli (original title That Lady) is a 1955 film directed by Terence Young and starring Olivia de Havilland. In said film, the Alcázar is used as a representation of the Palace of the Duke of Pastrana in Guadalajara.
The Alcazar of Segovia served as the setting for Sir Lancelot du Lac's French home, Joyous Gard, in the 1967 film-musical Camelot.
Some scenes from inside the palace have appeared in Spanish television series such as Isabel and Águila Roja.
The new series 'The Wheel of Time', an Amazon Prime blockbuster, came to the fortress in December 2020 to perform some of its scenes. Among the spaces where the filming took place, a short shot was recorded at the gates of the Alcázar, but most of the scenes were taken inside the palace-fortress, specifically in the Terraza del Pozo and the Terraza de Moros.
In the famous Castlevania saga we also have a representation of the Alcazar of Segovia. It was the castle chosen to adorn the manuals for Akumajou Dracula X68000 and the Sega Saturn version of SoTN: Nocturne in the Moonlight. In addition, he was chosen as the poster for the canceled film in real image.
It appears represented as the castle of Koka in the acclaimed manga Berserk, being the first fortress drawn in the work.
It is one of the wallpapers of the Super Pang video game.
The Alcazar appears in episode 20 of season 20 of The Simpsons entitled 'Four great women and a manicure'.