|
Plaza de Cabildo, Arcos de la Frontera
Arcos de la Frontera: Walking
tour
Here are the first five stages of the walking tour of Arcos devised by Casa
Campana. You can pick up a full version when you come and stay with us.
The old quarter of Arcos resides on a clifftop. It's a maze of narrow
streets leading to small squares, and its atmosphere is uniquely
Andalusian. he myriad historical details n the heart of the old quarter
, some of which are easily overlooked, provide us with a fascinating
snapshot of the town's extremely long past.
Let's start the tour at Plaza de Cabildo
(shown above)
- check out its stunning
viewpoint scanning the surrounding countryside. The square, which was
once used as a bullring, is a natural focal point for the visitor to
Arcos de la Frontera, lying as it does right outside Santa María church
- the town's touristic centerpiece...
Santa María church
Perhaps the best known sight for visitors to Arcos de la Frontera,
Santa María
(shown above)
is a mixture of many different architectural styles. It was constructed
over a period of six centuries over six centuries, and stands in
plac of what was a mosque. The mosque was built by the Moor who
occupied Arcos from 711 AD to 1262 AD. Look at the impressive, though unfinished
neo-classical bell tower - the old one fell in the earthquake of 1755 (famous
for destroying Lisbon). Its replacement was intended to be the tallest
in Andalucia after Seville's, but the money ran out!
Castle
Towards the back of the square, take the steps leading up to the castle
(shown above).
Now in private hands, the castle dates back to the 11th century and was
built by the Moors, who used it as a military fortress. Legend has it
that the ghost of a Moorish woman still wanders along the castle
battlements each moonlit night, in search of her lover. Rebuilding work
went on in the 14th and 15 centuries under the Christians, a time when
the first Dukes of Arcos used to live in the castle. Spain's renowned
Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, soent some time in the
castle with the Dukes shortly before travelling to Granada for the
surrender of the Moors to the Christians in January 1492 (in the same
year Columbus set sail for the Americas).
Carved stone
Back to the church.
After passing the left hand sid of the main façade Santa María church, you'll
notice a large block of stone
(shown above).
Of Roman or Arab origin and probably a remnant from the Arab mosque which stood
on this site, the stone is inscribed with a centuries-old tree motif.
Could this be the Tree of Life, that ancient symbol seen in so many
cultures? With its branches reaching into the sky, and its roots in the
earth, the tree dwells in three worlds - a link betwen heaven, the
earth, and the underworld, uniting above and below. It is both a
feminine symbol, bearing sustenance, and a masculine, visibly phallic
symbol - another union. Can you see the etched face in the tree?
Magic circle
Go down the first flight of steps, and in the pavement in front of the
church you'll find the 15th century 'magic circle'
(shown above).
It is the only one to be found in the whole of Andalusia. You'll see
there are 12 red stones and 12 white stones - the white ones have different constellations marked on
them. The magic circle used to be kept inside Santa Maria, and when parents brought a child to the church for baptism, they
would employ an exorcist to stand inside the circle (which acted as 'protection') and
cleanse the baby of any evil spirits. It was also a holy symbol during
the Moorish occupation of Arcos, and though local people do not revere
the circle any more, it is said that Sufis, a sect whose roots and
mystic beliefs may even predate the Moorish period, still come here as
pilgrims.
There are fifteen more cultural stops on the walking tour.
The tour ends at this viewpoint
Top
|
