11/9: Salamanca, SP: 2 Convents, 2 Cathedrals & 1 Astronaut!

Earlier that day, we'd visited the House of Shells and the wonderful Art Deco Museum in Salamanca with its superb collection of stained-glass ceilings as well as porcelain 'bathing beauties' and well more than 100 dolls, many of which were over three feet tall. As we walked through more of the city, we remarked that everything was done so beautifully in Salamanca. We both greatly admired the designs on so many buildings' exteriors.

We had been looking for a specific convent but found this pretty gate and park when we got lost! We were surprised that, with all the cold weather we’d been having, so many flowers were still blooming.

When we finally got to the Dominican Convento de las Duenas, we only had twenty minutes to go through so it was a bit of a mad rush. It still gave us a sense of the city’s most beautiful cloister.

 

The architecture of the central patio was exquisite. From the upper cloister, we had great views of the city's cathedrals and the Convent of Saint Stephen.

The convent was still in use, so we could only visit the courtyard and a one-room museum which displayed some of the convent's treasures. 

The convent's Sister Teresa Chikaba, born in 1676 in Mina Baja del Oro, New Guinea, was known as La Negrita.

The early 15th century doorway was in the Mudéjar style which meant an architecture and decoration style in Christian Iberia that was strongly influenced by Moorish taste and workmanship.

The columns in the inner courtyard were topped with decidedly ghoulish carvings  that would have been so much fun to study for hours! It was a shame we didn't realize the convent closed so early as I would have liked to have come here before the Art Deco Museum and just enjoy the cloister's peace and serenity for an hour or so.

Right across from the convent and just on the edge to Salamanca's Old Town was the lovely historic Convento de San Esteban. I couldn't understand why it was also called a convent and not a monastery as it was home to Dominican friars. They may have taken a vow of poverty, but their order definitely did not. It was a huge imposing church with a very large two-story cloister, and a facade full of statues unharmed by passing wars and infidels. 

The detailed facade was particularly impressive.

The King's Cloister was completed in 1544. The broad pillars were decorated with medaillons that depicted the prophets. The corners had vaulted niches that portrayed scenes from the life of Christ.

A mirror had been placed in a perfect spot in the cloister so visitors could more easily see the lovely ribbed ceiling.

This was the room constructed in 1490 where Columbus came to ask Queen Isabella to support him financially in his journey to America even though he did not know then he was going there. 

The Pantheon of the Theologians, built in the 17th century, was the final resting place for the remains of the most famous theologians attached to the University of Salamanca.

The new caputilo or 'chapter' was built between 1627 and 1634 and was where the Dominicans studied.

The De Soto Staircase had on its walls the motto which the Council of Trent gave to Father de Soto when he was the prior: Fides Viva or Faith Lives. It was built between 1553 and 1556.

On the upper part of the staircase was the painted statue of Mary Magdalene praying.

The Choir had intricately carved stalls for 118 monks.

The large fresco at the back of the choir depicted the triumph of the church being helped by the Dominican Order.

A view of the lovely church from the choir: The Main Altar was completed in 1693. Its three sections supported columns decorated with vines and bunches of grapes 

I found the profusion of gold in the Main Altar and the other chapels was too over the top for my taste. 

Located in the upper cloister were items Dominican missionaries had used in the New World. 

The magnificent Baroque and Italianate-style Sacristy was completed in 1635.

The statue depicted the convent's founder, Father Pedro de Herrera, at prayer. 

The confessional for the monks:

I really liked, however, all the stunning frescoes.

When we spotted the Santa Teresa de Jesus Confessional we almost freaked out as the nun 'spoke' to us in a recording when we entered the confessional as it was motion activated!

My parents often called Steven 'St. Steven' for 'saving my life' after I was diagnosed with cancer shortly after meeting him in Mexico. Only appropriate, therefore, was this picture of my Steven with the real St. Stephen!

Part of  the University of Salamanca was directly across from the convent. The university, the oldest in Spain when it was established in 1230, was one of Europe’s leading centers of learning for 400 years. Columbus went there for travel tips. It grew to be the equivalent of Oxford and Bologna in Italy. 

Throughout the 20th century, especially during the country’s Civil War from 1936-1939, the university became both the center for liberal resistance to fascism and the object of Franco’s efforts to impose a compliant academic philosophy at Spain’s most prestigious university.

Across from that part of the university was the New Cathedral. The old and new cathedrals were joined by a common wall. The Romanesque-style Old Cathedral was built in the 12th century. The so-called New Cathedral, one of the oldest in Europe, was built from 1513 to 1733 and was a towering mix of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The two cathedrals weren’t built as competitors; the new cathedral was to replace the old one, but when it was finished, the decision was made not to tear down the old one. 

The new cathedral also had a stunning facade we could have spent hours viewing and still not seen all of it. The detail of the stonework was the work of craftsmen who spent years creating it. I felt badly we didn't spend more time admiring their talent.

The new cathedral had a fascinating art presentation, called Counterpoint, of old world masters contrasted against new interpretations of the original painting or sculpture. Each pair was set in its own cube in front of a chapel. The next two photos were one counterpoint.

This is what the cube, set inside a chapel, looked like.

The next two were of David, the son of Jesse, although I confess to not knowing who Jesse was.

This was the dedication to the Virgin Mary followed by the counterpoint of the Madonna Lily. It was my least favorite as I couldn't understand how the counterpoint related to the initial sculpture.

The next two were different representations of the Last Supper.

While walking through the cathedral, there were tombs underfoot everywhere. When we first encountered that, it had been unsettling but over time we'd gotten somewhat accustomed to traipsing over the remains of powerful people.

The High Altar was only visible through the wrought-iron gate.

The Lady of the Assumption presided over the cathedral.

Behind the congregation seating area was the Choir area. The choir stalls were designed in 1724. There were 57 seats in the upper row and 41 in the lower row.

There were full length images of the apostles and the saints on the upper levels of the choir. 

The lower stalls had busts of saints.

The pelican, located in the choir, was the allegory of the Eucharist.

One of the two massive organ had been recently restored with financial assistance from the Emperor of Japan of all people! 

The monumental Evangelical Organ, located across from the other, was provided by a former bishop. He must have had a lot of money at his discretion!

Four choir books could be placed on each of the large music stands to allow for four voices at a time.

The back of the choir was equally stunning! The choir took up half the space in the church but we soon realized that was normal for Spanish Gothic churches.

The entrance from the New Cathedral to the Old Cathedral was through the magnificent 13th century San Lorenzo Chapel which then led down a stairway.

In the Old Cathedral, we learned that when it was constructed in the 15th century, most people couldn't read so the Church insisted on educating the masses with religious lessons depicted at eye level. Higher up though the workmen could install whatever they wanted since it would be so hard to see!  

The jaw-dropping frescoes were from 1262 and included figures of prophets, angels and Bishop Rodrigues.

The altarpiece, created in 1445, had 53 scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus - one for each week in the year plus an extra. This visual masterpiece was another reminder that the people weren't literate, and the cathedral's art helped them understand the Bible and their heritage. I wish I'd brought some binoculars so I could better examine each of the paintings on the glorious altarpiece.

The scenes surrounded a precious 12th century bronze and gilded copper statue of the Virgin of the Valley.

High above the altarpiece was the dramatic Last Judgement fresco of Jesus sending condemned souls into the literal jaws of hell.

The botanical zoomorphic columns depicted Adam and Eve.

I learned that PhD candidates would spend the night in the old cathedral sitting in a chair with their feet touching the bottom of an entombed figure representing a wise professor, whose knowledge would supposedly flow to them!

The frescoes were much paler in the transept before entering the cloister.

One of the cloister's chapels had a late 13th century, wood and marble, full-relief sculpture that could be opened of the Virgin Mary. Its swing doors allowed a double function. When they were closed, it represented an image of the Virgin in the classical pose. When the doors were opened, it showed scenes of Mary's life called the Joys of Mary. The sculpture was one of the very rare works included in the Virgin of Joy category still preserved nowadays.

The Chapel of St. Catalina, formerly the library until 1610, was founded at the end of the 12th century. The room was lined with tombs and paintings from the 15th to the 17th century.

Another striking chapel contained the Altarpiece of the Virgin of the Milk. In the central panel, the Virgin was represented nursing baby Jesus. I read that usage of the depiction seems to have revived with the Cistercian Order in the 12th century, as part of the general upsurge in Marian theology and devotion. Milk was seen as 'processed blood,' and the milk of the Virgin to some extent paralleled the role of the Blood of Christ.

The 13th century iron and wood Weathercock was the original rooster figure that was atop the dome of the Old Cathedral. I was surprised to read that it was similar to the top section of the minarets in a mosque. Here it was a Christian vane as it was meant to symbolize salvation and also some sort of protective charm against evil. This one was replaced in the early 20th century with a copy.

Unfortunately, the St. Barbara Chapel was closed because it was under renovation. That was where students sat for their exams. During the final exams, a stern circle of professors formed around the students at the tomb of the Salamanca bishop who founded the university around 1230. The university originated with a group of teacher priests who met in this room.

The Ananya Chapel had an exquisite Moorish platform considered to be the oldest in Europe.  The 16th century organ was Mudejar-style which meant Romanesque-Islamic Moorish style made in Spain after the Christian conquest. 

The stupendous grille encasing the St. Bartholomew tomb cost one thousand gold ducats.

The gorgeously carved 16th century alabaster tomb had a dog and lion at the foot.

At the side door of the new cathedral where the tourist entrance was, I spotted an astronaut added by a restorer in 1993! It caused quite a stir in town initially but now they simply shrug their shoulders and say, “He’s the person closest to God!” Apparently, there was also a dragon either eating an ice cream cone or singing karaoke near the astronaut but I couldn’t spot it! 

The ornate front entrance to the New Cathedral had such intricate masonry it looked like silverwork or plata and was thus called Plateresque style. 

Although the Puente Romano or Roman Bridge had been much altered, repaired and modified, it was still remarkable to be able to see and walk across what was still essentially a Roman construction from the time of Trajan. The 2,000 year-old pedestrian bridge was certainly testament to the Romans' ability to build lasting structures with arches!

At the start of the old town side of the bridge was this pre-Christian stone animal. 

Do you think I looked cold enough?!

From the riverfront, we had a grand view of the stained glass of the beautiful main facade to the Casa de Lis, i.e. where the Art Deco Museum was located that we'd toured earlier that same day.

Rarely have we seen so many religious sights in one day! Although the two convents and the two cathedrals had each been beyond spectacular, that was certainly our limit of being able to absorb and appreciate Salamanca's religious offerings.

Next post: Exploring, in the rain, the collection of medieval villages called Sierra de Francia!

Posted on December 30th, 2018, from our home in Denver. In case I don't get the next post written tomorrow, Steven and I wish each of you a very healthy and Happy New Year for you and your families. We have all sorts of exciting trips planned so I hope you will come along for the journey!