Visit to Sotofermoso Palace of ABADÍA, Ambroz Valley, Extremadura

Abadía is on the river Ambroz, located in the middle of pastures on the upper side of the Ambroz valley with breath taking views of the surrounding mountains.

 It is a village with a rich cultural variety; A medieval bridge, the Sotofermoso Palace (also called the Palace of the Dukes of Alba) and the Bien Parada Convent. 

The Sotofermoso Palace was declared a Historic Artistic Site in 1931.

Originally built as a stronghold during the 12th century, after the triumph of the Christians against the Moors it was given to the Templar order. 

In the 16th century the palace was remodelled by the third Duke of Alba, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, to include a splendid Mudejar style cloister and  Italianate renaissance gardens including a replica of the principle piazza of Naples no less.

The Alba family were some of the principle members of the Spanish royal court and would entertain various monarchs here throughout the following centuries. Also celebrated writers and artists would be invited to stay e.g. Garcilaso de la Vega and Lope de Vega both great writers during the golden age of Spanish baroque literature. 

 The fabulous cloister in the Mudejar style in an excellent state of conservation.

The elaborate garden is now unfortunately in a state of neglect. 

Six beautiful portals overlooked the Ambroz River, originally with wooden doors that could be opened to enjoy the panorama, they are now cracked and strangled by vegetation, a great pity. 

There are some original statues now moved into the cloisters

Visits on Tuesdays only 10.00 - 14.00

Extremadura in 1928 by Ruth Matilda Anderson

CASTILLO DE LUNA AT ALBURQUERQUE, BADAJOZ

Castillo de Luna ....Castle of the moon, named after the Luna family and in particular an illegitimate son Don Álvaro de Luna y Jarana who was endowed with the castle by the Order of Santiago in 1445. How did an illegitimate boy from the minor nobility of Aragon become so successful?

He was an ambitious cultured rogue who took full advantage of his childhood association with Juan II de Castilla to gain power, prestige and riches.

 He was introduced to the court as a page by his uncle Pedro de Luna, archbishop of Toledo, in 1410, Pedro de Luna later became antipope as Benedict XIII.

 Álvaro was charming and ambitious, he soon secured a commanding influence over the young Juan II. However, during the regency of King John's uncle Ferdinand, which ended in 1412, he was not allowed to be more than a servant but  when  Ferdinand was elected king of Aragon, and the regency was assumed by the king's mother, Catherine of Lancaster,  Álvaro became a very important person, the  "contino" or old friend of the King.

He became Álvaro de Luna, Maestre de la Orden de Santiago y Condestable de Castilla  and took over the castle in 1445 as part of his unscrupulous  machinations to climb to ever more elevated positions of power due to his privileged position as the king’s confidante.  

 He instigated the impressive building we see today within the old walls including the Torre del Homenaje and its neighbouring tower , the space between spanned by a massive arched bridge with drawbridge for times of danger.

He stamped the moon of his family name throughout the castle and on surrounding monuments including the stone fuente just outside the castle walls. 

He was confident in founding a powerful dynasty but his ambition was thwarted  when  the second wife of Juan II , Isabella of Portugal,  became increasingly offended by the immense influence of Alvaro,  finally the king succumbed to Isabella’s demands,  Alvaro was arrested, tried and condemned to death.  He was executed by beheading at Valladolid in 1453, King Juan II died the following year in 1453. The Lunas were disgraced but the castle remained as a witness.

Before being know as Castillo de Luna, the castle was a simple fortress built by the Moors in an important strategic position, close to the Portuguese border and equidistant between Valencia de Alcantara  and Badajoz. During the re-conquest the castle passed into Christian hands under Fernando II in 1166, was taken again by the Moors in 1184 and finally was re-conquered in 1217 when it was given to the powerful Order of Santiago who appointed various keepers linked to the kings of Castilla and Aragon. 

It was during this period that the church of Santa María del Castillo was built within the walls during the XIII century in the late Romanesque and Gothic  style.

After the downfall of Álvaro de Luna the castle passed into the hands of Don Beltran de la Cueva  from 1465-1472. Several buildings were added including the pentagonal tower.  

The castle fell into considerable dilapidation and abandonment over the next centuries.

During the war of succession between 1700 -1714 Alburquerque was invaded by an Anglo-Portuguese army.  The Portuguese added a massive defense system of walls designed in the style of Vauban similar to the defense systems of Elvas and Estremoz in Portugal. Also they  added  some more congenial conditions in the Torre del  Homenaje, fireplaces, tiled floors and larger windows with deep window seats overlooking the vast views.

In 1716 the Alburquerque was again in Spanish hands and again fell into a slow decline.

Despite the deterioration caused by the passage of time and lack of maintenance there are still many impressive features, especially the three complete defense walls, the gates and the massive keep built by Álvaro de Luna.

The small town of Alburqerque still thrives around the castle walls. There is a Medieval fiesta every year in August.

There are guided tours of the castle in Spanish : a.m. at 11.00, 12.00 and 13.00 and p.m. at 16.00 and 17.00

A VISIT FROM FINCA AL-MANZIL TO TRUJILLO -WALKING THROUGH THE CENTURIES

Discover the fascinating history of Trujillo through art, architecture and anecdote.

A walk through atmospheric lanes lined with secret gardens, jasmine and orange trees glimpsed over high stone walls, conquistador palacios with exquisite facades and beautiful interiors, sublime churches endowed with impressive works of art.

The walk starts in the magnificent Plaza Mayor, an almost theatrical space surrounded by a collection of interesting and sometimes outlandish buildings, each with a story in the long history of Trujillo. The many arcades around the plaza are identified by their medieval names denoting which products were sold there; Portal del pan, de la verdura, de la carne, del ajo, de los paños. We stroll around the plaza under the stern bronze gaze of Francisco Pizarro y González, 1st Marquess de los Atabillos, conquistador of Peru, perhaps Trujillo’s most notorious son. Imagine how the Incas trembled at being confronted with these huge unknown four legged animals topped with wild Spanish warriors.

This impressive equestrian statue of Pizarro is a 20th century bronze by the American sculptor Charles Rumsey, it was originally supposed to represent Cortés but was rejected with affront by the Mexican government and so it ended up in Trujillo renamed as Pizarro in 1927…….. a conquistador by any other name would be as nefarious.

Palacio Marqués de la Conquista.

One of the most bizarre palacios on the plaza is the huge and somewhat clumsy chunk of masonry known as the Palacio Marqués de la Conquista. It was constructed by order of Hernándo Pizarro in the 1560s. He was the legitimate half brother of Francisco Pizarro, the only Pizarro brother not to die a bloody death in Peru. After 20 years in jail for murder he returned to Trujillo and married his niece Francisca, Francisco Pizarro’s daughter. The building must have been an enormous undertaking at the time, a statement of power. It has five floors and is embellished with 12 statues around the roof representing the months of the year with musical instruments, a corner balcony and a massive coat of arms showing the two bears and pine tree of the Pizarro family, higher up there are several heads in chains representing the Inca slaves brought back to Spain from Peru.

There are also four quite detailed stone busts jutting out which are reputedly supposed to represent Francisco and his wife Princess Yupanqui, renamed Inés, their daughter Francisca Pizarro and her husband/uncle Hernándo.

 

Casa de Piedras Albas 

16th century palacio erected by Pedro Suárez de Toledo. It has a beautiful portico of Florentine influence due to a marriage with an Italian family. There are two towers which house the spiral stairs to upper floors one of which is decorated with the scallop shells of Santiago denoting that this building may have been used as a hospice for pilgrims at one time.
 By the way this is where we run a cooking week 3 times a year. A very special treat to be able to stay in the palacio which retains its original format preserving some wonderful architectural elements from the 16th century, the gardens and pool are also a delight. 
Best of all is the portico with it's endlessly intreresting view of the plaza. 
see www.cooking-extremadura.blogspot.com  

 Iglesia de San Martín 

XIV – XVI century has two notable statues, the Virgen de la Coronada from the 13th century and the Cristo de la salud of 14th century. There is an impressive baroque organ in the choir from 1759-1761.

Palacio de Santa Marta. A large palacio of the 16th century. The façade is built in ashlar masonry with additional sculptured stone by Francisco Becerra. After many years of neglect it has now been converted into a hotel but some aspects of the original building can still be appreciated.

Palacio de los Duques de San Carlos  (seen  above in the corner of the plaza)

 A 16th century renaissance palacio which has a magnificent baroque façade with a coat of arms including a double headed eagle, the symbol of (amongst many other things) the Habsburg dynasty who ruled Spain in the 16th century. It was the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Carlos V who gave permission to the owners of the palacio, the Vargas-Carvajal family, to include the eagle in their own crest of diagonal and wavy lines, the crest also includes the cross of the Dominicans, each point ending in a fleur-de-lis, a tribute to St Dominic. The building is now a convent for the Order of St Jerome nuns. It is not open to the public except during the Trujillo music festival in June, the courtyard is a spectacular area for the concerts.

Casa de la Cadena
Named after the heavy chain that is suspended over the entrance which symbolizes the right of asylum at this house which was initiated after Philip II stayed here in 1583 on his way to take possession of Portugal. His confessor Fray Diego de Chaves, a Dominican wanted the King to stay in his family house in order that the right of asylum would forever be in force, this was a privilege always given to houses where the sovereign stayed. The coat of arms with five keys and ten coins is of the Chaves-Orellana families. Unfortunately the house was given a new façade at the beginning of the 19th century replacing the original façade with galleries and gothic windows similar to the Alfilar tower behind the house

Torre del Alfiler

The tower was demolished by order of Queen Isabel in the 16th century when the Catholic monarchs decreed the destruction of most of the high towers in Extremadura as castigation for over ambitious noblemen who were causing many problems with their rivalry which took the form of the building of ever taller and taller towers. The tower has been restored several times and now appears in its original design.

It is located at the back of the 14th century Casa de las Cadenas, topped by a metal rod that resembles a large pin hence its name. The roof is in the Gothic style with a brick dome and a decoration in glazed tiles of the coat of arms of Chaves-Orellana.

La Casa del Peso Real  

The official house for controlling weights and measures in the busy medieval market town of Trujillo. It has a beautiful entrance with salomonic (barleysugar) columns and windows of gothic Isabelina design. It is typical of many houses in Trujillo, a medieval gothic origin with later architectural additions from the renaissance era.

From the plaza we make our way up to the castle entering the most ancient part of Trujillo through the Puerta de Santiago known as El Sol in Moorish times, the tower of the Iglesia de Santiago on the right is the original Moorish defensive tower for the gate.

Casa dos Pizarros

On the way up to the castle we pass the humble old family home of the Pizarro family before the changing fortunes brought by the conquistador period. It is now a small museum.

The Castillo and Moorish Alcazaba

The castle was the site of the first structures in Trujillo. Turgalium the Roman name has its roots from the primitive Celtic fort that was built on this defensive position which dominates the surrounding countryside. Different epigraphic and funerary evidence suggests Turgalium became a population of some importance. Some of the Roman tombstones were integrated into the castle built by the Moors in the XI century, we can see some displayed e.g. Castres Juliae, Norba tax Caesarina
It continued as a defensive stronghold through Visigoth, Moorish and Medieval times, each culture adding their imprint on the structure. The entrance to the Alcazaba is through a magnificent horseshoe arch typical of late Visigoth or Moorish architecture of the VIII - IX century when Trujillo was known as Turjalah. Inside the austere walls is an open space with two aljibes underground.

The Christian Knights invaded the city late in the 12th century but  in 1196 the Muslims recaptured it at the battle of Alarcos. Finally with the aid of knights from the orders of Santiago, Templar, Alcántara and Hospitalarios de San Juan and with troups of the Bishop of Plasencia Trujillo was reconquered on Jan. 25, 1232. According to local tradition, the attacking troops saw between the castle towers a vision the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus  which encouraged the Christians to overpower the Moors and the Virgin de Victoria now has a chapel within the castle.

From the battlements of the castle the views are endless, across the rock strewn plains to the distant mountains, also down into the heart of the town where we can identify the sites we will be visiting and enjoy a birds-eye view into some of those secret gardens. Of particular note are the two impressive towers of the Santa Maria church which rise up just below the castle. 

LA VILLA - THE ANCIENT CITY

The Moorish and later medieval wall encloses La Villa.
During the XIII and XIV centuries the outer defensive walls were strengthened and improved but still followed the line and encorporated the original Moorish walls. There were 17 towers arranged at irregular intervals and 7 portals of which there now remain Puerta Coria, Arco del Triunfo, Puerta San Andres and Puerta Santiago. This wall enclosed the town of Trujillo until the end of the XV century when the urban development started outside the wall with the building of many noble conquistador palaces in the Plaza Mayor and surrounding streets.

On leaving the Castle we dive into the labyrinth of small lanes and alleys each one bringing a new delight We will be visiting several palacios, churches and convents where the nuns still make and sell typical cakes, the Coria monastery, La Alberca a Moorish aljibe in constant use through the ages as the stone drinking trough for animals testifies with its worn away edge, but first we enter the gothic arch of the Santa Maria church.

The Church of Santa Maria la Mayor

Built on the site of a demolished mosque after the reconquista in 1230. The capitals are Romanesque, the three interior naves of Gothic style and the balustrade of the choir, plateresco. The Julia tower is of Romanesque origin, it fell into ruins after the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and was only rebuilt in the 50s. The other tower is not as old and has been renovated several times, the last renovation included the belfry which is now accessible, it has spectacular views of the town and the vast countryside in all directions.

The church preserves Romanesque and Gothic elements from its first foundation in the XIII century but underwent considerable restoration in the 16th century. It has three naves in three sections and a polygonal apse, covered with cross vaults with tiercerons. The Plateresque choir is outstanding.

The most impressive element is the magnificent retablo painted by Fernando Gallego of the Flemish school in 1480. It consists of 25 wooden panels painted in glowing oil paint.

At the bottom are the Passion and Glory of the Lord, on the side panels are the Evangelists and fathers of the Church.
The centre represents the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A glorious work of art which has survived six centuries to delight us today with intimate details of the dress and customs of the late 15th century.

A fascinating aspect of the church are the numerous stone tombstones set into the floor, Pizarros, Cervantes, Bejaranos, Vargas and Carvajals—all of who had participated in the conquest of the New World with their coats of arms carved into the stone.

Fortified Palaces of the XIII Century

We continue our walk following the line of the wall enclosing La Villa and pass by some of the oldest structures from the reconquista.

A very important element in the architecture of Trujillo are the fortified palaces built immediately after the reconquista by the most powerful families. They were built within the Moorish defensive walls next to entrance portals, coarse and robust, made from local granite with small windows and doors. The outer walls were adorned with the coat-of-arms of the family, a show of nobility and the privilege conferred by an important lineage.

The church of Santiago

Built after the reconquista but the bell tower was created from one of the original Moorish defensive towers.  Seen above from within the walls looking down through the  Puerta de Santiago with the Palacio Luis de Chaves El Viejo on the right.

The Palacio of Luis de Chaves El Viejo 

Built during the XV century and includes the tower next to the Puerta de Santiago which was known as the Puerta del Sol in Moorish times. Isabel and Ferdinand stayed here many times including the sad occasion when they learned of the death of their only son Juan Prince of Asturias who died at 19 thus leading to the Hapsburg accession to the Spanish throne through a series of royal deaths, leaving one daughter Juana to succeed. She was later known as Juana Louca after marriage to Philip son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian and heir to the Hapsburg empire. It was their son Carlos I who would inherit all the glories of the Hapsburg empire and the crown of Spain which of course included all the newly conquered lands of the New World .

Following the wall we next come to

  El Alcazarejo de los Altamirano 

A fortified palace built in the 13th century by Fernán Ruíz with the entrance door added in the 16th century above which is the coat of arms of the Altamirano family. A Moorish cistern can be viewed as well as the remains of two towers demolished by order of the Reys Catholicos at the end of the XVth century.

A little way along the wall is the Puerta de San Andres which is defended by the fortified palace of the Escobar family

This sadly decaying palacio dates from the late XVth century. It was the home of Maria de Escobar the woman renowned for bringing the first wheat seeds to the new world. She became the wife of Diego de Chaves one of Pizarro’s officers who had the courage to protest against the execution of Atahualpa in 1533. Maria followed her husband to Peru, shared the fatigues and dangers of the Spaniards, and introduced the cultivation of wheat and barley. The first experiment was tried on a small scale near Cuzco with a few grains brought by her from Spain, within a few years there was sufficient grain to furnish seed for all the colonists of the different provinces. Maria taught the Indians personally how to cultivate the grain, and after the death of her husband in Lima about 1540, Pizarro granted her a fine piece of land near Lima together with the Indians upon it. The grateful colonists resolved to clear the land and cultivate it for her for ten years, but it seems that they soon forgot their promise, Maria is said to have died very poor in Cuzco in about 1560. If you look closely at the facade there are small coats of arms with wheat sheaves which must have been added by later generations of Escobars to commemorate Maria's enterprise.

Next we come to the Alcazar de Bejarano, a XIII century fortified house guarding the portal known as the Arc de Triomphe , it was the gate which was breached by the Christian forces in 1232 which led to the final reconquest of Trujillo from Moorish rule.

Only two towers are preserved, by their lack of uniformity and the distance between them, it is thought that they might have belonged to two different buildings. The brickwork of the windows has a Moorish influence .The arms of Bejarano above the entrance door has an inscription alluding to the Reys Catholicos.
As we make our way around the walls there are many sites of interest on the way such as
La Alberca, the originally Roman bath converted into one of many aljibes constructed  by the Moors in Trujillo

 Convento de Coria

A noble family, the Loaisas, constructed the Convento de la Coria in the 15th century.
Over the next three centuries, the Loaisas collaborated with other aristocratic families of Trujillo to commission enlargements to the convent. The convent initially housed an order of local Franciscan nuns, but during times of war, the wives and daughters of Trujillo’s soldiers sought refuge here, thus giving birth to the site’s alternative name, the Convent of the Noble Ladies.
The convent had strong associations with Spanish involvement in the Americas: Francisco Pizarro,  illegitimate, was born in the Coria.
The Convento de la Coria, once an epicentre of community life and symbol of Spanish New World exploration, was largely destroyed when Trujillo was ransacked by French troops retreating after the Peninsular War (1808–1814).  Because of Trujillo’s isolation, the ruins were left to lie until the 1980s when the renovation of the convent took place.Unfortunately the result is rather souless and the permanent exhibition dedicated to the conquest of the new world is lacking in imagination and content.The most atmospheric area is the chapel left in ruins, wreathed in ivy and the entrance flanked by roman columns.

On our way back to the Plaza we pass through more enchanting streets with many conquistador palacios built in the XVIth century. Casa de Francisco de Orellana, Casa de Los Chaves Caldero, Casa de los Rol- Zarate y Zuñiga 

Palacio de Juan Pizarro Orellana, now a convent, it is possible to visit the patio accompanied by a nun.

 Palacio Chaves Mendoza which became a hospice and is now privately owned.

Finally we go through the Cañon de la Carcel the original entrance to the prison and back into the plaza through the arch of the .Ayuntamiento Viejo,  the old town hall. It is beautiful building with thee arched porticos. There is a sala with frescoes depicting the judgement of King Solomon. At one time it was also the Royal Prison, nowadays the justice courts.

Nature in Trujillo

Besides the wonderfully varied architecture and beautiful views we cannot fail to notice the varied birdlife of Trujillo. The emblemic bill-clattering White Storks build their untidy nests around the Plaza Mayor on the towers of Iglesia de San Martín, the Palacio de la Conquista and the Torre del Alfiler tower. The elegant Lesser Kestrel performs a unique and colourful display on roof tops and chimneys every spring, their characteristic stunts in the air are accompanied by a piercing and noisy call. House Swifts also fill the air, alone or in flocks, they fly close to roof tops, screaming their shrill call before hiding in craggy masonry. Up in the castle are the large groups of Jackdaws perching on the castle battlements and wheeling around the towers.