The Monastery de Santiago de Uclés is in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

town of

Uclés Uclés is a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the province of Cuenca, Castilla–La Mancha. The municipality spans across a total area of 64.61 km2 and, as of 1 January 2020, it has a registered population of 212. History ...

in Castile-La Mancha and was built by the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgr ...

, whose main headquarters (''Caput Ordinis'', "Head of the order") was in that town.

Location

The monastery is at the top of a hill to the west of

. It is part of a large complex of buildings built in different historical periods, starting from the Muslim domination, and reaching completion as a fortress while a possession of the

. This was the Order's most important home, and acquired its present aspect as part of 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 ...

History

20070415 - Monasterio de Uclés - Vista desde el oeste (2)

The hill on which the monastery now stands was the site of a Celtiberian

castro Castro is a Romance language word that originally derived from Latin ''castrum'', a pre-Roman military camp or fortification (cf: Greek: ''kastron''; Proto-Celtic:''*Kassrik;'' br, kaer, *kastro). The English-language equivalent is '' chester''. ...

, a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

fortress used by the native Celts. In 893, Al-Fath ben Musa ben Dhi-l-Num, forced to withdraw from Toledo, made ''Uqlish'' (Uclés) his home and capital of the region. He had to fortify the town from attack, and built a new fortress in 896. In 1085, following the conquest of Toledo, Uqlīsh was occupied by Christians, who installed a garrison there. In 1108, the battle of Uclés—also known as the battle of Seven Counts—led to the defeat of the Christian army by Tamim ben Yusuf. After Christians reconquered Uclés in 1174, King

Alfonso VIII of Castile 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 at ...

gave the fortress to the

, who made it their main headquarters. After the end of the

, the buildings were remodeled, and many of the defensive elements of the fortress eliminated, giving it its current appearance. Two walls, however, were preserved. One of these protects the old orchard, watered with the waters of the Bedija river. Construction of the current monastery began on May 7, 1529, during the reign of

Carlos V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...

, starting with the east wing, of

Plateresque Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" (''plata'' being silver in Spanish), was an artistic movement, especially architectural, developed in Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in ...

style. The original traces are by

Enrique Egas Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk (Du ...

. Construction in the

Herrerian 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 ...

style began in the last quarter of the 16th century. In the 17th century, the work on the courtyard and the main staircase continued, and the west and south wings were finished. In 1735, under the reign of

Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598) * Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...

, the east

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and the main roof were completed in the

Churrigueresque Churrigueresque (; Spanish: ''Churrigueresco''), also but less commonly "Ultra Baroque", refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th c ...

style. Stone from the hill "Cabeza del Griego" (

Segobriga Segóbriga was an important Celtic and Roman city, and is today an impressive site located on a hill (cerro Cabeza de Griego) near the present town of Saelices. Research has revealed remains of important buildings, which have since been preserved ...

) was used, particularly in the eastern façade. In 1836, with the confiscation of Mendizábal, the

were forced to leave the complex. Though plans existed in the early 20th century for the monastery to become a secondary school, and later a novitiate and college of

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

s, it was ransacked and damaged in 1936 during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. During the three years of the war, the complex was a makeshift hospital, and served as a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

for political prisoners after the war ended, between the years 1939 and 1943. Prisoners who died of disease or who were put to death were buried in an area outside the monastery known as "La Tahona". In October 1949, the monastery was host to a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...

of the

bishopric of Cuenca The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cuenca ( la, Conchen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Cuenca in the Ecclesiastical province of Toledo in Spain.

, called "Santiago Apóstol".

Bien de Interés Cultural

The monastery was declared a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

on June 3, 1931. In 2003, protection was extended to its surrounding environment.

Architecture

Construction was carried out over a long period of time, so the monastery exhibits three architectural styles:

and

. The east wing of the monastery, from the first half of the 16th century, was executed in

style. The

style church in the north wing was completed in 1602. The rest of the monastery, built in the 17th century, is of

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style, and culminates with its

facade work by

Pedro de Ribera Pedro de Ribera (Madrid 4 August 1681 - Madrid, 1742) was a Spanish architect of the Baroque period. Biography Ribera worked almost exclusively in Madrid during the first half of the 18th century. He was a disciple of José Benito de Churriguer ...

Plateresque Style

Plateresque style is so named because its decoration imitates the filigrees that goldsmiths performed on silver. This part of the building was designed by

and executed by Francisco de Luna, Pedro de Vandelvira, Gaspar de Vega, Pedro Tolosa, Diego de Alcántara and

Bartolomé Ruiz Bartolomé Ruiz (c. 1482 in Moguer, Spain – c. 1532 in Cajamarca, Peru) was a Spanish conquistador. He started his career as Christopher Columbus's pilot, before joining Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro on their conquest of Peru. Ru ...

. The Plateresque decoration is clearly seen in the asymmetric windows of the eastern facade, in which skulls, shells, crosses, and other allegorical motifs are repeated. The

coffered 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, also ...

ceiling of its

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...

features carvings of

longleaf pine The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

, and has thirty-six caissons corresponding to thirty-six busts of masters, priors, and knights of the

. One of the most prominent is dedicated to Don

Álvaro de Luna Álvaro de Luna y Fernández de Jarava (between 1388 and 13902 June 1453), was a Castilian statesman, favourite of John II of Castile. He served as Constable of Castile and as Grand Master of the Order of Santiago. He earned great influence in t ...

. Instead of his effigy, there is a crowned skull surrounded by the inscription, "You, noble lords, know that anyone forgives." The image of

occupies the central place with its imperial attributes, a sword and an orb. The south side displays the shield of Spain. The old

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

has two ships at right angles and its dome is ribbed with ogival elements. The Plateresque work also covers friezes, columns, and

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

Herrerian Style

The church completed in 1598, is a work by

Francisco de Mora Francisco de Mora (c.1553–1610) was a Spanish Renaissance architect. Mora was born in Cuenca, Spain, Cuenca, and was an uncle of both the architect Juan Gómez de Mora and the humanist Baltasar Porreño. He is considered one of the best r ...

, a disciple of

Juan de Herrera Juan de Herrera (1530 – 15 January 1597) was a Spanish architect, mathematician and geometrician. One of the most outstanding Spanish architects in the 16th century, Herrera represents the peak of the Renaissance in Spain. His sober style reac ...

, architect of El Escorial. The church earned the nickname, "Escorial of La Mancha".Monasterio de Uclés, el Escorial de la Mancha
Instituto de Turismo de España. Accessed 4/21/2013. The church, in the shape of a Latin cross, has a single

with five sections and a high choir. It is sixty-five meters long and twelve meters wide. The cruise is higher and is closed in lantern shape. It is separated by a

grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...

decorated with the royal arms and the

cross of Saint James The Cross of Saint James, also known as the Santiago cross, ''cruz espada,'' or Saint James' Cross, is a heraldic badge that is cruciform in design. The cross, shaped as a Crosses in heraldry, cross fitchy, combines with either a cross fleury or ...

. The

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, by

Antonio Segura Antonio Segura (June 13, 1947 – January 31, 2012) was a Spanish comics writer. Biography Antonio Segura's earliest work appeared in the early 1980s after meeting the experienced artists José Ortiz, Luis Bermejo and Leopoldo Sanchez who we ...

, is adorned with gores on scallops. In its only nave, side chapels interconnect and form two aisles. The altarpiece is of Greco-Roman style with Baroque trends. It was commissioned to Francisco García Dardero. The painting of Saint James presiding the altarpiece is by

Francisco Rizi Francisco Rizi, or Francisco Ricci de Guevara (9 April 1614 – 2 August 1685) was a Spanish painter of Italian ancestry. Biography He was born in Madrid. His father, Antonio Ricci, was an Italian painter, originally from Ancona, who had co ...

, who was a portrait painter of Philip IV. Between the sacristy and the church is the entrance to the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

, which has a Latin cross. Though the crypt no longer contains remains, it previously held the remains of many members of the Order of Santiago, including Doña

Urraca Urraca (also spelled ''Hurraca'', ''Urracha'' and ''Hurracka'' in medieval Latin) is a female first name. In Spanish, the name means magpie, derived perhaps from Latin ''furax'', meaning "thievish", in reference to the magpie's tendency to collec ...

, the Grand Master

Rodrigo Manrique Rodrigo Manrique de Lara (1406 – November 11, 1476, Ocaña, Spain) was a rebellious Spanish noble who gained notoriety for his prowess in the Reconquista battles against the Muslim invaders. He sided with the Infantes of Aragon during the ...

and his wife, and his famous son

Jorge Manrique Jorge Manrique (c. 1440 – 24 April 1479) was a major Castilian poet, whose main work, the ''Coplas por la muerte de su padre (Verses on the death of Don Rodrigo Manrique, his Father)'', is still read today. He was a supporter of the queen I ...

. In the 17th century, the remains in the church of Santiago were relocated to a subterranean chapel under the choir. It is possible that a cell in the crypt, under the main altar, held the prisoner

Francisco de Quevedo Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas, Knight of the Order of Santiago (; 14 September 1580 – 8 September 1645) was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, Luis de Góngora, ...

. In the 17th century, the monastery's patio was built, including two floors of galleries. The cloister has thirty-six balconies on a closed upper floor. The west facade was planned by

, but was not built by him. It is also of Herrerian style and contains the front entrance of the church. This facade was flanked by two towers with high

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

s that disappeared in the fires of 1845 and 1877.

Churrigueresque style

The main facade was built in 1735 by

, a Baroque master of the court. It is built as an altarpiece facade with carved ornamentation. The facade features four non-load bearing, decorative pilasters. The decorative carvings include dolphins, lions, heads, warriors, trophies, fruits, and two crosses of Saint James. The summit is decorated with two busts of chained Moors, and a bust of Saint James with a cross in his left hand and a sword in his right. An inscription reads ''Fidei defensio'' ("Defense of the faith"). At the bottom is the inscription ''Caput Ordinis'' ("Head of the Order"), freestanding crosses, a royal crown, knights with trophies, and chained Moors.

The old fortress

Three towers remain of the old fortress of the Order of Santiago. Though their names are mistaken in many sources, the guestbooks of the Order that are saved in the

National Historical Archive National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

name them as follows: the Tower del Pontido , connected by a footbridge to the Tower del Palomar, which is linked by a drawbridge to a wall leading to the Albarrana tower. The exact locations of other towers are unknown, as those towers were demolished for other church construction.

Archaeological remains

In the present monastery there are several additional remains of the ancient fortress: * A section of wall at the east end of the main facade. It corresponds to a tower that was above of the head of the old church, which was located at the site of the current hall. * Another section of wall on the right side of the main entrance of the present church. * The underground of the ancient

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

with arches in the second basement, and a pointed arch in the first.

References

Bibliography

* Ángel Horcajada Garrido. ''Uclés. Capital de un estado''. Cuenca: el author; 1983. * Dimas Pérez Ramírez. ''Uclés, cabeza de la Orden de Santiago''. Tarancón: Seminario Menor; 1990. * Pelayo Quintero Atauri. ''Uclés, antigua residencia de la Orden de Santiago''. Madrid: Fortanet; 1904 (2007 reprint). *

External links

Official website of the Monasterio de Ucles.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monasterio de Ucles Buildings and structures completed in the 16th century Roman Catholic churches completed in 1602 Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century Buildings and structures in the Province of Cuenca Monasteries in Castilla–La Mancha Herrerian architecture Spanish confiscation 1602 establishments in Spain Francoist concentration camps 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain