Cuéllar is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Segovia, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León.
It is a medieval town with an extensive heritage, including its medieval castle, its triple walled enclosure, one of the most important and best preserved in the autonomous community of Castile and León, the largest collection of Mudejar architecture in the region and a variety of churches, monasteries and other historic buildings.
The importance of the historic quarter of Cuéllar is backed up by the declaration of the town as a Historic-Artistic Site in 1994. In addition, seven buildings have been independently declared Sites of Cultural Interest. One of the most defining characteristics of the historic quarter of Cuéllar is the preservation of the medieval plan and layout of the typical Castilian village.
The nerve centre of the town is its main square with a Castilian air, presided over by the town hall, a building constructed between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century on the remains of the old prison. The square has an irregular shape due to the buildings that were added in the 19th century in front of the main door of the town hall, which reduced the dimensions of the whole. The colonnaded arcades at the top and bottom of the square stand out, as well as the southeast corner, which features popular Castilian architecture with a timber and adobe framework, with pronounced wooden eaves of Mudejar influence.
Opposite the town hall is the church of San Miguel, which comprises a mixture of architectural styles ranging from Romanesque stone to Baroque.
Presiding over the upper part of the town is the castle of the Dukes of Alburquerque, the town's most emblematic monument, declared a National Monument in 1931. It was built at an unknown date on the southeast corner of the town wall, which is why it preserves several Mudejar elements, including the south gate, the old entrance to the walled enclosure of the town. It is first documented in 1306.
It is mainly a Gothic and Renaissance building, with a more palatial than military air, due to the remodelling carried out from the 16th century onwards by the Ducal House of Alburquerque.
From both ends of the castle rises the wall of Cuéllar, a triple walled enclosure of Romanesque origin, which with a current length of 1,400 m and 2,000 m in origin, represents one of the most important and best preserved walls in Castile and León. It is made up of three distinct enclosures: that of the city, which delimits the area closest to the castle and borders the upper part of the town, that of the citadel, which encloses the lower part of the town within its walls, and the counter-wall, the barrier that embraced the two previous ones, and of which fewer remains are preserved. Along its perimeter, up to eleven access gates were built, seven of which are still preserved, the most outstanding of which is the arch of San Basilio, in the Mudejar style and resembling a fortress.
Cuéllar is one of the main centres of Mudéjar architecture in the Duero basin, and the most numerous in Castile-León, a product of the important Muslim community it supported until the 15th century. The most singular example is the church of San Andrés, built in the 13th century, outside the walls and close to the castle, whose ground plan was described by Lampérez and Romea as the best of its style, and was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1982; its interior has important Mudejar-style mural frescoes. Also next to the castle stands the church of San Martín, from the same period and cataloguing, where King Pedro I of Castile married Juana de Castro in the spring of 1354.
Another important example can be found next to the Jewish quarter, the church of San Esteban, which dates from the 12th century, and whose imposing apse was defined by the Marquis of Lozoya as one of the most original works of its style, and has been described as the most representative, elegant and decorated of the Mudejar style. It preserves in its interior four Gothic-Mudejar tombs decorated with arabesque plasterwork dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. Nearby was the church of Santiago, of which the apse and part of the atrium have survived.
Amazing footage. I love the differing architectural styles of the castle. Really surprising how well it has been maintained, especially considering it dates back to the 11th century.
The castle has been renovated many times throughout its history. The last one I think was in the mid 1960's so it is not so rare to find it in good condition.
It is not the only castle in Spain that is in a perfect state of preservation.
DowntownRDB Posted at 10-6 03:01
Amazing footage. I love the differing architectural styles of the castle. Really surprising how well it has been maintained, especially considering it dates back to the 11th century.
Realmente no se sabe en que fecha se construyó el castillo original Como dice el texto que acompaña al vídeo "It is first documented in 1306" pero probablemente originalmente fue una fortaleza árabe, o quizás un castillo romano, o un castro celta, .... o todos y cada civilización fue construyendo sobre la anterior.
As you can imagine, the different architectural styles are due to the different reforms carried out over time. This has also allowed it to reach our days in a good state of conservation.
Discover Spain Posted at 10-6 06:21
Realmente no se sabe en que fecha se construyó el castillo original Como dice el texto que acompaña al vídeo "It is first documented in 1306" pero probablemente originalmente fue una fortaleza árabe, o quizás un castillo romano, o un castro celta, .... o todos y cada civilización fue construyendo sobre la anterior.
As you can imagine, the different architectural styles are due to the different reforms carried out over time. This has also allowed it to reach our days in a good state of conservation.
You're most welcome. Hopefully, it will be maintained for many, many more years.
Let's hope so, that the castle will last for many years to come.
No problem. I understood what you were saying. My spanish is a bit rusty now but I was stationed at the American Embassy in Madrid years back and at that time my comprehension was much better.
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Hopefully, it will be maintained for many, many more years.