Valladolid

Valladolid

Valladolid (help·info) is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, upon the Pisuerga River and within the Ribera del Duero wine-making region. It is the capital of the province of Valladolid and of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon, therefore is part of the historical region of Castile.

It is also popularly called Pucela, a nickname whose origin is not clear, but probably refers to a few knights who accompanied Joan of Arc.

Valladolid was captured from the Moors in the tenth century, being a small village improved by count Pedro Ansúrez in the eleventh century; in 1469 Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon were married in the city and by the fifteenth century it was the residence of the kings of Castile and remained the capital of the Kingdom of Spain until 1561, when Philip II, born here, moved the capital to Madrid. Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid in 1506 in a house which is now a Museum dedicated to him. It was made the capital of the kingdom again between 1601 and 1606 by Philip III. It was in that period when Cervantes published his first edition of Don Quixote in 1604.

The city nonetheless boasts few architectural manifestations of its former glory. Some monuments include the unfinished cathedral, the church of Santa Maria la Antigua, the Plaza Mayor (Main Square)(the template for that of Madrid and of future main squares in the Castilian-speaking world), the National Sculpture Museum, next to the church of Saint Paul, which includes Spain's greatest collections of polychrome wood sculptures, and the Faculty of Law of the University of Valladolid, whose façade is one of the few surviving works by Narciso Tomei, the same artist who did the transparente in Toledo Cathedral. The Science Museum is next to Pisuerga river. The only surviving house of Miguel de Cervantes is also located in Valladolid. Although unfinished, Cathedral of Valladolid was designed by Juan de Herrera, architect of El Escorial.

Valladolid is an economic motor of the autonomous community, having an important automobile industry (IVECO, FASA-Renault, Michelin). There is an airport at nearby Villanubla, with connections to London-Stansted, Paris, Brussels-Charleroi, Milan, Lisbon, Barcelona and Vigo.

The capital of Castile-León preserves in its old quarter, a heritage of aristocratic houses and religious buildings. Among them, the unfinished Cathedral was commissioned by King Philip II and designed by the architect Juan de Herrera in the 16th century. Their respective deaths left the church unfinished and its nave was not opened until 1668. Years later, in 1730, Master Churriguera finished the work on the main front. Inside the cathedral, the great chapel houses a magnificent reredos made by Juan de Juni in 1562. The complex is linked to the Diocesan Museum, which holds carvings attributed to Gregorio Fernández and Juni himself, as well as a silver monstrance by Juan de Arce.

The large Gothic church of Saint Benedict (San Benito) was built between 1500 and 1515, with an unusual tower. The Saint Michael Church (San Miguel), built at the end of the 16th century by the Jesuits, hosts excellent reredos by Gregorio Fernández. The façade of the San Pablo Church is famous by its Gothic statues and decoration. The Savour (El Salvador) Church has a façade built around 1550 and a picturesque brick tower dating from the 17th century. The church of Saint Jamea (Santiago) has reredos depicting the Adoration of the Magi (1537) created by Berruguete. The Gotic church of Saint Mary the Ancient (Santa María de La Antigua) has an unusual pyramid-shaped Romanesque tower from the 12th century. The Monastery of Santa María la Real de las Huelgas was originally built in 1600. The Monasterio de Santa Ana has various paintings by Francisco de Goya. San Juan de Letrán Church has an outstanding Baroque façade built in 1737. Beside this last church is the Monasterio de los Padres Filipinos, designed by the famous architect Ventura Rodríguez in 1760.

The heart of the old city is the 16th-century Plaza Mayor, presided over by a statue of Count Ansúrez. On one side of it stands the City Hall, a building from the beginning of the century crowned by the clock tower. In the nearby streets is the Palace of Los Pimentel, today the seat of the Provincial Council, is one of the most important, as King Philip II was born in it on 21 May 1527. The Royal Palace, the 16th-century Palace of the Marquises of Valverde, and that of the banker Fabio Nelli - a building with a Classicist stamp built in 1576 - should also be pointed out. The Museum of Valladolid occupies this complex, exhibiting a collection of furniture, sculptures, paintings and ceramic pieces.

The University, whose Baroque façade is decorated with various academic symbols, and the Santa Cruz College, which as well as housing a valuable library forms one of the first examples of the Spanish Renaissance, say much about the cultural importance of Valladolid.

The city preserves houses where great historical characters once lived, like the Casa de Cervantes, where the author of Don Quijote lived with his family between 1603 and 1606. As a curiosity, it was in this house where the writer gave his masterpiece the finishing touches. A visit to the house-museum enables you to get to know the way of life of a noble family in the 17th century through possessions and furniture from the time. You can also visit the Christopher Columbus House-Museum, where the navigator spend the last years of his life. Nowadays the palace exhibits various pieces and documents related to the discovery of America.

From nineteenth century Valladolid, the house where one of the provincial capital's most illustrious characters - José Zorrilla - was born is preserved. The house, which is open to the public, brings together various personal possessions, furniture and documents that belonged to the Romantic writer.

As of the 2004 census, the population of the city of Valladolid proper was 321,713, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be near 400,000.

Valladolid's province is revealed through different tours like those along the Red Wine Route and the Knight's Route, which lead to the "Alma de Castilla" and the "Tierra de Campos". The first of these routes leads to the wine-growing country of Quintanilla de Onésimo, Vega Sicilia, Pesquera de Duero and Peñafiel. Here you can visit the castle and Wine Museum as well as interesting cellars.

The Knight's Route unfolds to the south of the provincial capital and here you can get to know the cellars of Boecillo, the Mudejar architecture of Mojados and Olmedo and the medieval wealth of Iscar and Portillo. Historic towns like Simancas, where the General Archive of the Kingdom can be found; Tordesillas, of great historical and artistic importance; and Medina del Campo, famous for its markets, fairs and spa, lie in the so-called “Soul of Castile”. Meanwhile, the Tierra de Campos brings you to medieval towns like Medina de Rioseco and beautiful examples of popular Vallodolid architecture like Villalón de los Campos or Castromonte, known for its medicinal waters.

To tour this whole area you can stay in the excellent facilities of the Parador de Turismo at Tordesillas. It is also a good place for trying Valladolid cuisine, where the roast lamb and suckling pig are famous. Castilian soup (made with bread, garlic and ham), cod with garlic and game dishes are also famous. To accompany these recipes there is nothing better than the wines with Denomination of Origin from the province: Ribera del Duero, Cigales, Rueda and Toro.

The city is also host to one of the foremost (and oldest) international film festivals, the Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid (Seminci), founded in 1956.

Despite being an inland province, fish is quite commonly consumed. Brought from the Cantabrian Sea, fish like red bream and hake are a major part of Valladolid's cuisine.

The main speciality of Valladolid is, however, lechazo (baby lamb that has only drunk its mother's milk). The lechazo is slowly roasted in a wood oven and served with salad.

Valladolid also offers a great assortment of wild mushrooms. Asparagus, endive and beans can also be found. Some legumes, like white beans and lentils are particularly good. Pine nuts are also produced in great quantities.

Sheep cheese from Villalón de Campos, the famous pata de mulo (mule's leg) is usually unripened (fresh), but if it is cured the ripening process brings out such flavour that it can compete with the best sheep cheeses in Spain.

In the area of bread Valladolid has a bread to go with every dish, like the delicious cuadros from Medina del Campo, the muffins, the pork-scratching bread and the lechuguinos, with a pattern of concentric circles that resemble a head of lettuce.

The pastries and baked goods from the province of Valladolid are well-known, specially St. Mary's ring-shaped pastries, St. Claire's sponge cakes, pine nut balls and cream fritters.

Valladolid is also a producer of wines. The ones that fall under the Designation of Origin Cigales are very good. White wines from Rueda and red wines from Ribera del Duero are known for their quality.

Holy Week in Valladolid is a fine example of the international repercussions this celebration has had. The Good Friday processions are considered an exquisite and rich display of Castilian religious sculpture. On this day, in the morning, members of the brotherhoods on horseback make a poetic proclamation throughout the city. The "Sermon of the Seven Words” is spoken in Plaza Mayor Square. In the afternoon, thousands of people take part in the Passion Procession, comprising 31 pasos (religious statues), most of which date from the 16th and 17th centuries. The last statue in the procession is the Virgen de las Angustias, and her return to the church is one of the most emotional moments of the celebrations, with the Salve Popular sung in her honour.

Easter week is one of the most spectacular and emotional fiestas here. Religious devotion, art, colour and music combine in acts to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ: the processions. Members of the different Easter brotherhoods, dressed in their characteristic robes, parade through the streets carrying religious statues (pasos) to the sound of drums and music – scenes of sober beauty.

Valladolid is represented in La Liga, the top football (soccer) league in Spain, with their own club, Real Valladolid, or Pucela as they are nicknamed.

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Cathedral of Valladolid

Valladolid's Cathedral, also called Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, was designed by Juan de Herrera, architect of El Escorial.

Purist and sombre, its style is the typical Spanish "clasicismo", also called "Herrerian", show in all its architecture and decoration. This style follows the characteristics of Juan de Herrera. It does not house any exceptional pieces although in its time it has been the keeper of a Greco painting. Today it contains a rich musical archive including 6000 works and some authors define it as unique in Spain and a 16th century altarpiece by Juan de Juni. The history of the building is intertwined with that of the city of Valladolid, to the point that the growth of the town conditioned the construction of the cathedral in its origins.

It is the great unfinished cathedral, the result of a project that could not be finished in all its splendour. The Collegiate beginnings soon became obsolete due to the changes of taste of the day, so the Town Council decided to build a cathedral that would put in the shade similar constructions in neighbouring capitals. Although faithful to the project of Juan de Herrera, the building would undergo many modifications, such as the addition to the top of the main façade, work of Churriguera.

This magnificent monument, declared of Cultural Interest in 1931 is dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. The building was designed by Juan de Herrera and was directed mainly by his disciples in the first half of the 17th century. Diego de Praves was the main contributor and he was succeeded by his son. The design plan was a rectangle with two towers in the corners of the main façade, and another two finishing in pyramids, in the chancery.

It had a transept and two magna doors in the ends. The main chapel was separated from the testero, so processions could pass round the back. There are chapels along the length of the two sides between buttresses.

The lower part of the main façade is based around a Tetra style triumphal arch. Due to an error in construction the portal arch is rather pointed.

In the 18th century Alberto Churriguera erected the second part in imitation of the façade of the church of El Escorial. In the balustrade there are statues of San Ambrosio, San Agustín, San Gregorio and San Jerónimo. Then the tower on the side of the vestry was erected which, after suffering the consequences of the Lisbon earthquake, fell down in 1841, it was re-erected next to the vestry and is crowned with a statue of the Corazón de Jesús. The cathedral remains unfinished.

There are four chapels on either side. In the first there is a Neoclassic liens of Cain and Abel and the second is property of Juan Velerde. The third has two late 17th century large liens, work of a follower of Lucas Jordan. The next is in dedication to San Fernando and the tomb of Count Ansúrez, whose statue dates from the 16th century, the same as the railing.

The main chapel has the altarpiece made by Juan de Juni for the Iglesia de la Antigua, although it was transferred to its present position in 1922. The plasterwork of the choir was the work of Francisco Velázquez and Melchor de Beya in 1617 and is from the convent of San Pablo. In the third chapel there is a Baroque altarpiece from the 18th century and a group of statues and funerary reliefs of the Venero family, work of a disciple of Pompeyo Leoni. The second chapel has a Baroque altarpiece, with a sculpture of San Pedro, by Pedro de Ávila and 16th century railings.

In the vestry there are several holy liens: the Assumption, from the second quarter of the 17th century by Diego Valentín Díaz; San Jerónimo and San Jenaro by Lucas Jordan. Lastly the chapter room has several ceremonious chairs in the choir stalls of San Pablo.

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Valladolid debate

The Valladolid debate (1550 – 1551) concerned the treatment of natives of the New World. Held in the Spanish city of Valladolid, it opposed two main attitudes towards the conquests of the Americas. Dominican friar and Bishop of Chiapas Bartolomé de las Casas argued that the Amerindians were free men in the natural order and deserved the same treatment as others, according to Catholic theology. Opposing him was fellow Dominican Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, who insisted the Indians were natural slaves, and therefore reducing them to slavery or serfdom was in accordance with Catholic theology and natural law. Las Casas and Sepúlveda each later claimed to have won the debate, but no record supporting either claim exists, and the debate had no clear effect on the treatment of the natives.

Las Casas, from the School of Salamanca and the Humanist movement, worked for years to expose the cruel treatment of natives in the encomienda system. This work had led to the Laws of the Indies of 1542, which promised to bring the encomienda system to an end. The humanity of the natives had already been established by the papal bull Sublimus Dei of 1537, which had also officially (though not effectively) banned slavery. Moved by Las Casas and others, the King of Spain Charles V ordered that further aggressions against the natives should cease and called a Junta (Jury) of eminent doctors and theologians to hear both sides and to issue a ruling on the controversy. Las Casas' position found support from the monarchy and the Catholic Church, who wanted to control the power of the encomenderos, while Sepúlveda's arguments supported the interests of the colonists and landowners who benefited from the system.

Though Las Casas tried to bolster his position by recounting his experiences with the encomienda system's mistreatment of the Indians, the debate remained on largely theoretical grounds. Sepúlveda took a more secular approach, basing his arguments largely on Aristotle and the Humanist tradition to say the Indians were naturally predisposed to slavery, and could be subjected to bondage or war if necessary. Las Casas objected, arguing that Aristotle's definition of the "barbarian" and the natural slave did not apply to the Indians, who were fully capable of reason and should be brought to Christianity without force or coersion. In the end, both parties declared they had won the debate, but neither received the outcome they desired. Las Casas did not see an end to Spanish wars of conquest in the New World, nor did Sepúlveda see the New Laws restricting the power of the encomienda system overturned. The debate did result in the weakening of the encomienda system, but did not substantially alter the treatment of the Indians.

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National Sculpture Museum (Valladolid)

The National Museum of Sculpture, is a museum belonging to the Spanish Ministry of Culture. The museum has an extensive collection sculptural ranging from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century from convents, donations, deposits and acquisitions of the state. Located in the city of Valladolid (Castile and Leon).

Originally the museum was founded as the Provincial Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurándose on October 4, 1842. It had its first headquarters at the College of Santa Cruz de Valladolid.

On April 29, 1933 moved to the San Gregorio College. Due to the quality of the funds it were, received the rank of National Museum of Sculpture.

The museum presents sculptures ranging from the nineteenth century XIII of the Iberian Peninsula and the old areas of linkage with Spain (Latin America, Flanders, Italy, etc.).

The National Museum of Sculpture custodía also much of the sculpture processional of Valladolid, ensuring its continued study and conservation. As a unique museum since 1922 enters the loan of several sculptural sets the brotherhoods of the Easter Week of Valladolid. The museum hosts among other steps Raising of the Cross of Francisco del Rincon, I Thirst, and The Way of Calvary Gregorio Fernandez or the Holy Sepulchre or passage of the Sleepers Alonso de Rozas.

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