Segovia

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The old city is spectacularly situated atop a long, narrow promontory. It contains a wealth of monuments, including the cathedral, a famous ancient Roman aqueduct, the Alcázar, and various churches built in the Romanesque style including San Esteban, San Martin, and San Millan. The old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Alcázar, or castle-palace, is perched at the tip of the promontory and towering over the countryside below. It was built but the Moors in the 12th century. During the Middle Ages, the Alcazar of Segovia was the favourite residence of kings of Castile, and almost each king added new parts to the building, transforming the original fortress into a courtier residence and prolonging the construction of the castle till 16th century, when King Philip II added the conical spires and the slate roofs. The church of Vera Cruz, beyond the Alcazar and the city walls was founded by the Knights Templar. It is built in the circular style, a common design of the Templar, in recognition of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The aqueduct that stands at the entrance of the historic section of Segovia was built at the end of 1st to early 2nd century AD by the Romans during their occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. The aqueduct has become a symbol of the city. It was originally constructed in order to bring water from the Frio River to the city about 18km away, which required it to stretch from the Sierra de Guadarrama to the walls of the old town. Its main part consists of 166 arches, supported by 120 pillars, which cover a distance of 1km (0.6mi). It is made of 20,400 large, rough-hewn granite blocks, joined without mortar or clamps. Its maximum height of 28.1m (100.53ft) is found at the plaza of Azoguejo. A raised section of stonework in the center once had an inscription. Today only the holes for the bronze letters survive. The Cathedral of Segovia stands in the city's central plaza. Constructed by architect Juan Gil de Hontanon in the late Gothic style between 1522 and 1577, it is widely considered Europe's last great Gothic cathedral. Owing to these famous monuments, Segovia is a very popular tourist destination, especially as a day-trip from Madrid.

Category: Travel
Uploaded: August 4th, 2006 @ 1:03 am
Author: antonwithagen

Length: 05:10
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