PLASENCIA in a day - Extremadura

The city of Plasencia, on the banks of the river Jerte, and known as the Pearl of the Valley, dates back to Roman times, but it was during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that it reached its greatest splendour.
We enter the historic centre through the Puerta del Sol, possibly the most popular and best known, with an image of the Virgen de la Paz and the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs above the entrance arch.
Presiding over the Plaza Mayor is the Municipal Palace, built in the 16th century. In the bell tower, grandfather Mayorga (1743) marks the hours for locals and foreigners alike, although the current one dates from 1973. Since the Middle Ages, the traditional Tuesday market has been held in the square, where the best agricultural products are sold.
The old Las Claras Convent was founded in 1475, dedicated to Santa Ana and was occupied by nuns of Santa Clara. Nowadays, it functions as a Cultural Complex housing the Municipal Tourist Office and the Centre for Hebraic Studies.
The New Cathedral, completed in 1578, has on its exterior a chain that legend says are ‘those of Navas de Tolosa’ that Alfonso VIII donated to the city. The Plateresque façade lacks sculptures, which were never made and left the stone altarpiece empty. The south doorway, a Baroque façade, is known as the Enlosado because of the paving in the area before it.
The Old Cathedral or Cathedral of the Annunciation is Romanesque at its base, but as it was built it changed to Gothic. On the south doorway we find the scene of the Annunciation with the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel.
The Casa del Deán, opposite the Cathedral, is a 17th century palace-house, which stands out for its magnificent corner balcony. In the 20th century it was joined to the neighbouring house of Doctor Trujillo to become the seat of the Palace of Justice.
The Puerta de Trujillo is known as Cañón de la Salud because of the chapel dedicated to the Virgen de la Salud (Virgin of Health) located above the entrance arch.
The Convent of Santo Domingo is located in the area of La Mota, where the Jewish quarter was at the time of its foundation. Founded in the mid-15th century by the Counts of Plasencia, it is now the Parador de Turismo de Plasencia.
The Palace of Mirabel, founded in the mid-15th century, is one of the most attractive buildings in Plasencia, built by the former Dukes of Plasencia, Don Álvaro de Zúñiga and Doña Leonor de Pimentel.
The Church of San Nicolás was built in the 13th century and is one of the first churches in the city. Inside there is an image of Our Lady of Fuentidueñas with the Child in her arms.
The Monroy Palace or House of the Two Towers (14th century) was originally two buildings joined together, with two square towers at either end. The only visible tower is the north tower, as the south tower was demolished in the 19th century due to the serious damage caused by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.
The Carvajal-Girón Palace was built in the 15th century in continuation of the space once occupied by the Jewish quarter of Pláceres, once it was vacated from its original location in the area surrounding the Mirabel Palace. The streets Arenillas and Zapatería, around the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza de Ansano, were the nuclei of the New Jewish Quarter.
The walls of Plasencia began to be built when Alfonso VIII of Castile conquered the Andalusian settlement that existed on the site, thus founding the present-day city of Plasencia in 1186. The king's aim was to defend his border with the Andalusian territories and his frontier with the kingdom of León.
Social marginalisation prevented the Jews from burying their dead in the common cemetery, so they were forced to bury them on the outskirts of the city. This Jewish cemetery is located in El Berrocal, opposite the Jewish quarter of Plasencia, with direct access through the Berrozana Gate, to avoid crossing areas occupied by Christians. There are around twenty tombs dug into the rocks with anthropomorphic figures and in accordance with Jewish burial laws, i.e. the burial mound had to be in virgin soil, which is still the case today, on a slope and facing Jerusalem.
Music: ‘Beginning’ by Arnyd
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Sources:
plasenciaturis...
www.visitaplas...
rutadelaplata....
blog.guiartepl...
es.wikipedia.o...
09/01/2024

[@MiriamGonzalezT]

Que maravilla!! 🩷

[@migueltalavera1554]

Me alegro que te guste Miriam. Plasencia merece una visita. Gracias por comentar...

[@alessandrostella9982]

Que imponentes las catedrales! Me recuerdan a la de Burgos...pero mas en estilo extremeño :)

[@migueltalavera1554]

Extremadura nos sorprendió gratamente. Seguro que volveremos a por más. Gracias por tu comentario Alessandro...