Segovia is the most spectacularly sited city in Spain. The old town is set high on a rocky spur and surrounded by the Río Eresma and Río Clamores. It is often compared to a ship - The Alcázar on its sharp crag forming the prow, the pinacles of the Cathedral rising like masts, and the aqueduct trailing behind like a rudder. The view of it from the valley below at sunset is magical.
The aqueduct, in use until the late 19th century, was built at the end of the 1st century AD by the Romans, who turned the ancient town into an important military base. The cathedral, dating from 1525 and consecrated in 1678, is the last great Gothic church in Spain. It was built to replace the old cathedral, which was destroyed in 1520 during the revolt of the Castilian towns. The cloister, however, survived and was rebuilt on the new site. The pinnacles, flying buttresses, tower and dome form an impressive silhouette, while the interior is light and elegantly vaulted.
At the city´s western end is the Alcázar. Rising sheer above crags with a multitude of gabled roofs, turrets and crenellations, it appears like the archetypal fairy-tale castle. Although there has been a fortress here since the Middle Ages, the present building is mostly a fanciful reconstruction following a fire in 1862. |
