The Alcázar of Segovia ("Segovia Castle") is a medieval castle located in the city of

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...

, in Castile and León,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Rising out on a rocky crag at the western end of the old town, above the confluence of rivers Eresma and Clamores at the bottom of

Sierra de Guadarrama The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de G ...

, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape– like the bow of a ship. The alcázar was originally built around the eleventh century by the

Almoravid dynasty The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century tha ...

to serve as a fortress and has subsequently served as a royal palace for twenty-two monarchs, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College, and a military academy. The Old Town of Segovia, including the alcázar, was declared a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 1985. Today, it is used as a museum and a military archives building since its declaration as a National Archive by a Royal Decree in 1998.

History

The Alcázar of Segovia, like many fortifications in Spain, started off as a Roman ''castrum'', Archivo General Militar de Segovia
(in Spanish): ''El Alcázar fue erigido como fortaleza hispano-árabe sobre las ruinas de un castro romano de los varios que defendían la ciudad.'' but apart from the foundations, little of the original structure remains. The alcázar was built by the Berber

. Almoravid art and architecture is scarcely talked about in scholarship in part because so little of the physical work has survived in Spain. Furthermore, the

was short-lived and therefore much of the art and architecture of that period was subsequently destroyed or converted by their successors. The first reference to this castle was in 1120, around 32 years after the city of Segovia was conquered by the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

(during the

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

when King Alfonso VI reconquered lands to the south of the

Duero river The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

, down to Toledo and beyond).In 1258, during the reign of King

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Ger ...

(r.1252–1284), an intense thunderstorm caused a fire that destroyed several rooms, leading to centuries-long reconstruction during the reigns of various kings. The shape and form of the Alcázar was not known until the reign of

King Alfonso VIII Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (''El Noble'') or the one of Las Navas (''el de las Navas''), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army a ...

(1155–1214), however early documentation mentioned a wooden stockade fence. It can be concluded that prior to Alfonso VIII's reign, the Muslim era structure was no more than a wooden fort built over the old Roman foundations. Alfonso VIII and his wife, Eleanor of England (sister of

Richard the Lionheart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

), made this alcázar their principal residence and much work was carried out to erect the beginnings of the stone fortification we see today. The Alcázar of Segovia was one of the royal's favorite residences starting in the 13th century that in turn, led to

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

patronage to the city of Segovia. It was during this period that most of the current building was constructed by the Trastámara dynasty. In 1258, parts of the Alcázar had to be rebuilt by

King Alfonso X Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germ ...

after a cave-in and the Hall of Kings was built to house Parliament soon after. However, the single largest contributor to the continuing construction of the Alcázar is King John II who built the "New Tower" (John II tower as it is known today). In 1474, the Alcázar played a major role in the rise of

Queen Isabella I Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 b ...

. On 12 December news of the King Henry IV's death in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

reached Segovia and Isabella immediately took refuge within the walls of the Alcázar where she received the support of Andres Cabrera and Segovia's council. She was enthroned the next day as Queen of Castile and León. The next major renovation at the Alcázar was conducted by King Philip II after his marriage to Anna of Austria. He added the sharp slate spires to reflect the castles of central Europe. In 1587, architect Francisco de Morar completed the main garden and the School of Honor areas of the castle. During his visit to Spain known as the " Spanish match", Prince Charles of England visited the Alcázar in 1623, after dining at

Valsain Valsaín is a hamlet of Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, which is a town and municipality located within the Province of Segovia in Castile and León. It is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, from Segovia, and north o ...

. He was entertained by

Luis Jerónimo de Cabrera, 4th Count of Chinchón Luis Jerónimo Fernández de Cabrera Bobadilla Cerda y Mendoza, 4th Count of Chinchón, also known as Luis Xerónimo Fernandes de Cabrera Bobadilla y Mendoza, (1589 in Madrid – October 28, 1647 in Madrid) was a Spanish nobleman, Comendador ...

, who was then keeper of the Alcázar. Prince Charles was shown the Galley Room or "second great hall" with the heraldry of

Catherine of Lancaster Catherine of Lancaster ( Castilian: ''Catalina''; 31 March 1373 – 2 June 1418) was Queen of Castile by marriage to King Henry III of Castile. She governed Castile as regent from 1406 until 1418 during the minority of her son. Queen Catherin ...

. In the evening there was a torchlit masque involving 32 mounted knights. Prince Charles gave the Count of Chinchón a jewel and rewarded the poet Don Juan de Torres for his verses. He left early in the morning for Santa María la Real de Nieva. The restoration of the Royal College of Artillery is among the many reforms conducted under the reign of King Charles III of Spain (r. 1759-1788). He appointed Count Félix Gazzola as the director of the artillery corps, who made the executive decision to install the academy in the Segovian fortress in the Alcazar. At its opening in 1764, the military college stood as a symbol of the city’s new age of progress in political and military education. On 6 March 1862, another fire occurred at the castle, destroying the sumptuous ceilings of the private rooms that were reserved exclusively for the nobility. As demonstrated in the engravings by José María Avrial and Flores in 1839, the structures were restored to their previous appearances. Avrial-Alcazar

It was only in 1882 that the damaged roofs of the building were slowly restored to their original state, thanks to the existence of engravings made by José María Avrial in 1839.Manuel Ossorio y Bernard
''Biographical gallery of 19th century Spanish artists''
, Ramón Moreno press, Madrid, 1868. In 1896, King Alfonso XIII ordered the Alcázar to be handed over to the Ministry of War as a military college. The Board of Trustees of the Alcázar of Segovia was created by the Decree of the Presidency of the Government, on 18 January 1951. The purpose of this was to ensure cultural, artistic, and historical preservation of the Alcázar’s triple function as a royal castle, military precinct, and military academy. Sala del Cordon Alcazar Segovia 4

Description

The exterior of the castle has a

Herrerian style The Herrerian style ( es, estilo herreriano or ''arquitectura herreriana'') of architecture was developed in Spain during the last third of the 16th century under the reign of Philip II (1556–1598), and continued in force in the 17th centu ...

courtyard, moat, drawbridge, and keep. The interior rooms include a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

and several noble rooms (''cuartos'' ''del Trono'', ''de la Galera'', ''de las Piñas'', ''de los Reyes'' and others) that can be visited today. A triumphal arch, located on the corner of the south-east part of the palace, just beyond the moat, was likely ornamented with heraldic devices and served as a grand entrance to the alcázar. However, today it no longer survives. It was changed during the Habsburgs sometime during the 16th century. The castle sits on a hill overlooking the city, with four towers, and several halls that are constructed with

barrel vaults A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

and twin windows. In the interior, the halls and rooms were decorated with great luxury and beauty by

Mudéjar Mudéjar ( , also , , ca, mudèjar , ; from ar, مدجن, mudajjan, subjugated; tamed; domesticated) refers to the group of Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period despite the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for ...

painters and artists. Currently, it houses an Armory Museum and the General Military Archive of Segovia, the oldest historical archive of the Spanish Armed Forces.

Tower of John II of Castile

Hall of the Monarchs in the Alcázar of Segovia

The tower of King

John II of Castile John II of Castile ( es, link=no, Juan; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was King of Castile and León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister, Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, as Prince of Asturias in 1405. Regency John was the ...

(r. 1406-1454) was built during the first half of the 15th century. The style is notably recognized as

Spanish Gothic architecture Spanish Gothic architecture is the style of architecture prevalent in Spain in the Late Medieval period. The Gothic style started in Spain as a result of Central European influence in the twelfth century when late Romanesque alternated with few ...

, with influences from

Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across a wide ra ...

, such as a

horseshoe arch The horseshoe arch (; Spanish: "arco de herradura"), also called the Moorish arch and the keyhole arch, is an emblematic arch of Islamic architecture, especially Moorish architecture. Horseshoe arches can take rounded, pointed or lobed form. Hi ...

found during renovations in the souther-side of the tower. The tower culminates in a large panoramic terrace with two pointed arches of varying heights built into the walls of the eastern and western portions of the tower. On the east-side of the tower, a large, doubled Gothic window that reached to the floor and facing the city of Segovia was built so that the king's entire body could be seen by others as he stood, framed by the window. The side that projects towards the city was initially used as a parade ground, which was common in military architecture. There are two steep and spiral staircases with 156 steps that ascend to the top of the tower. At the end of first section, there is a guard room. Attached to the front wall is a bed where the watchman of the tower would have slept.

Interior rooms

According to ''The Illustrated Magazine of Art'' (1853)

Hall of the Old Palace

Its construction corresponds to the reign of Alfonso VIII of Castile. In it the twinned windows that gave light to the palace are conserved, since the wall in which they were was the exterior wall of the old palace. The Mudéjar-style socles located between the windows come from a 13th-century house in the nearby Las Canonjías district. The decoration was completed with a set of German-style armor from the 15th century.

Hall of the Fireplace

Corresponds to the ordination of the fortress in the time of Philip II of Spain. The furniture is from the 16th century. On the walls you can see a portrait of Philip II and another of Philip III, a 16th century Flemish tapestry with the subject of Our Lady's betrothal and a curious representation where you can contemplate the appearance of the Alcázar before the reform of the roofs and where you can also see the Former Cathedral of Segovia that was located in the current square of the Alcázar.

Throne Room (Salón del Solio)

The walls of the Throne Room mostly consist of portraits of various kings, which are part of the collection of kings commissioned by the queen

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successi ...

. Both portraits are signed by their respective artists: the portrait of Isabella I of Castile is signed by Madrazo, while the portrait of Ferdinand II of Aragon is signed by Montañés. In addition, there is a depiction of the ruler himself "''en siella''" (seated). This image corresponds to the fact that extant written documents from the fourteenth century actually referred to the throne room as the "''rey en siella''" (king sitting on the throne; enthroned king). Often these rooms were used for different types of political ceremonies, including the receiving of foreign embassies, banquets, musical performances, and literary events. The rooms could be decorated with different types of objects, like tableware and textiles (including

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

) that allowed for the space to be transformed to suit the particular event.

Hall of the Galley (Sala de la Galera)

The mother of John II, Queen

(r.1390-1406) commissioned the construction of the Hall of the Galley in 1412. The name of the room derives from the

coffered ceiling A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, als ...

that was shaped like an inverted

ship hull A hull is the watertight body of a ship, boat, or flying boat. The hull may open at the top (such as a dinghy), or it may be fully or partially covered with a deck. Atop the deck may be a deckhouse and other superstructures, such as a funnel, d ...

. The frieze is made of

plaster with a double inscription: the upper one includes a prayer related to the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

and the lower one offers information about the work displayed in the hall. There are two stained glass windows in the Hall of the Gallery. One of these windows portrays

Henry III of Castile Henry III of Castile (4 October 1379 – 25 December 1406), called the Suffering due to his ill health (, ), was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon. He succeeded his father as King of Castile in 1390. Birth and education Henry was bor ...

(r. 1390-1406) and his family. The second window portrays King

Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter th ...

(r. 1366-1367) and scenes of the death of

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

and John II. A painting by Muñoz de Pablos hangs on a wall in the gallery depicting the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

of the Isabella I of Castile as queen of Castile and of León in the church of San Miguel of Segovia.

Hall of las Piñas (Sala de las Piñas)

The inspiration for the of name of this room comes from the decorative motifs in the Artesonado ceiling that features many pineapple-like motifs. The stained glass window portrays King

Alfonso VII Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

(r.1126-1157) with his daughter, Queen

Berengaria of Castile Berengaria ( Castilian: ''Berenguela''; nicknamed the Great (Castilian: la Grande); 1179 or 1180 – 8 November 1246) was reigning Queen of CastileThe full title was ''Regina Castelle et Toleti'' (Queen of Castille and Toledo). for a brief tim ...

(r. 1217).

Royal Chamber

In its walls you can see scenes of the family life of the Catholic Monarchs. The bed has a brocade cover woven in gold.

Hall of the Kings (Sala de los Reyes)

(r. 1252-1284) commissioned the construction of the Hall of the Kings. The space has ornamental ceilings and the upper portions of the four walls are decorated with a five-layer cloth. The design and layout of the Hall of the Kings borrowed iconography from the Palace of Alhambra. In the 1400s, King Henry IV of Castile (r.1454-1474) played a large role in the final design of the Hall of the Kings. Historical and literary references are evident in the decoration, including the storied medieval Castilian knight, El Cid. King Henry IV's decision to incorporate a gallery that depicted various rulers of Castile and León, in seated positions, into the hall's decoration was designed to demonstrate the political legitimacy of those in power during 15th century Spain. Similar imagery can be found in the King’s Hall (''Sala de los Reyes'') (also sometimes identified as the Hall of Justice) at the Alhambra, where an image of ten seated rulers located in the ceiling vault are believed by some scholars to represent different emirs from the

Nasrid dynasty The Nasrid dynasty ( ar, بنو نصر ''banū Naṣr'' or ''banū al-Aḥmar''; Spanish: ''Nazarí'') was the last Muslim dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula, ruling the Emirate of Granada from 1230 until 1492. Its members claimed to be of Arab ...

. Other scholars, however, have argued that due to the presence of small coats of arms below the figures and at the two ends of the image, the scene likely represents the ruler, in this case,

Muhammad V of Granada Abu Abdallah Muhammad V () (4 January 1339 – 16 January 1391), known by the laqab, regnal name al-Ghani bi'llah ( ar, الغني بالله, al-Ghanī bi-ʾllāh, He who is contented with God), was the eighth Nasrid dynasty, Nasrid ruler of t ...

(r.1354-1359), accompanied by a group of wise men, various teachers and literary figures, is a meeting known as a ''maŷlis''. Whomever is illustrated in the imagery in the Alcázar of Segovia's Hall of Kings, the message concerns the representation of political power, dominance, and legitimacy. Philip II of Spain (r. 1580-1598) commissioned Hernando de Ávila to design one of the statues that represented the kings of Asturias, León and Castile. One of the paintings in the room is a portrait of King Philip II of Spain (r.1556-1598) and the others are portraits of two of his wives,

Elisabeth of Valois Elisabeth of France or Elisabeth of Valois ( es, Isabel de Valois; french: Élisabeth de France) (2 April 1545 – 3 October 1568) was Queen of Spain as the third spouse of Philip II of Spain. She was the eldest daughter of Henry II of France ...

(r. 1559-1568) and Anna of Austria (r. 1570-1580).

Room of the Belt

Its name is because it is surrounded by walls, a long golden lace.

Chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
(Capilla)

The chapel at the Alcazar of Segovia houses

Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, ...

(c. 1600) by Italian painter, architect, and sculpture Bartolomé Carducho.. Due to its historical significance and architectural accomplishments, the castle hosted numerous events. One of the most famous events at the Alcazar was the wedding of Philip II of Spain (r. 1556-1598) with his niece, Anna of Austria (r. 1570-1580) in 1570, which took place in the castle’s chapel.

Weapons or Armory Room

The Alcázar has housed the armory of the

House of Trastámara The House of Trastámara ( Spanish, Aragonese and Catalan: Casa de Trastámara) was a royal dynasty which first ruled in the Crown of Castile and then expanded to the Crown of Aragon in the late middle ages to the early modern period. They were ...

since old times, and was the precedent of the collections of weapons that finally met in the

Royal Armoury of Madrid The Royal Armoury of Madrid or Real Armería de Madrid, is a collection that, among many other things, contains the personal arms of the Kings of Spain, and also houses military weapons, armours and diplomatic works of art like mixed tapestries, ...

Museum of the Royal College of Artillery (Museo del Real Colegio de Artillería)

The Royal College of Artillery was divided into two parts: the academy and as a meeting place for the military and cadets in training. To attend the school, applicants were exclusively chosen from the noble estate or related to army captains and artillery corps. The allure of the school consisted of not only its scientific and military accomplishments, but in its integration of teachings of Christian ideals.

In popular culture

Depicted as Koka's castle, it is the first shown fortress in the manga '' Berserk''. The castle also served as the French home of Sir Lancelot du Lac, Joyous Gard, in the 1967 musical film ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

''. The castle's silhouette and overall appearance also inspired the castle in Disney's 1937 animated classic, '' Snow White and the Seven Dwarves''. Sylvain Castle, a dungeon in the 1995 action RPG ''

Terranigma is a 1995 action role-playing game developed by Quintet for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), with manga artist Kamui Fujiwara acting as the character designer. The game tells the story of the Earth's resurrection by the hands of ...

'', is based on it. The castle is used as the setting for Ghealdan in ''

The Wheel of Time ''The Wheel of Time'' is a series of high fantasy novels by American author Robert Jordan, with Brandon Sanderson as a co-author for the final three novels. Originally planned as a six-book series, ''The Wheel of Time'' spans 14 volumes, in ad ...

''.

References

External links

*
Entry in Great Buildings website - Alcázar of Segovia.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcazar Of Segovia

Azulejos in buildings in Castile and León Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Segovia Buildings and structures in Segovia Castles in Castile and León Defunct prisons in Spain Military and war museums in Spain Palaces in Castile and León Royal residences in Spain