The Plaza de Teucro (Teucer square) is a square of medieval origin located in the heart of the old town of

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality wh ...

(Spain). It is the most harmoniously proportioned medieval square in the city.

Etymology

The current name of the square dates from 1843. It is named after

Teucer In Greek mythology, Teucer (), also Teucrus, Teucros or Teucris ( grc, Τεῦκρος, Teûkros), was the son of King Telamon of Salamis Island and his second wife Hesione, daughter of King Laomedon of Troy. He fought alongside his half-bro ...

, the mythical founder of the city, son of King

Telamon In Greek mythology, Telamon (; Ancient Greek: Τελαμών, ''Telamōn'' means "broad strap") was the son of King Aeacus of Aegina, and Endeïs, a mountain nymph. The elder brother of Peleus, Telamon sailed alongside Jason as one of his Argo ...

(King of Salamis), who is said to have followed a mermaid, Leucoiña, in exile to the Ria de Pontevedra and founded the city. Before, the square was called ''Plaza de la Villa'' and ''Plaza Mayor'' because it was the most central square in Pontevedra and the most important due to the

Pazo A Pazo is a type of Galician traditional house. Similar to a manor house, pazos are usually located in the countryside, as former residences of important people in the community (formerly of kings and nobility). They were of crucial importance in ...

s of the noble families surrounding it. It was also called ''Plaza de Aranda'' (because the Marquis of Aranda had his

pazo A Pazo is a type of Galician traditional house. Similar to a manor house, pazos are usually located in the countryside, as former residences of important people in the community (formerly of kings and nobility). They were of crucial importance in ...

there), ''Plaza del Pan'', because of the sale of bread and the bread ovens that were located nearby and ''Plaza de las Semillas'' as seeds were sold there four times a month. In the 19th century it was also called ''Plaza de la Leche'' because milk was sold there.

History

The first mentions of the square date back to 1336. In 1396, it had already given its name to the street of Azogue (''rúa do Açougue'', current Isabel II street), which came from the

Basilica of Saint Mary Major The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the large ...

. The square adopted its present configuration with the surrounding buildings in the 18th century. In the beginning, it was known as ''Plaza del Azogue'' and was designed as a meeting place and a market for the daily sale of foodstuffs. Later, the square became known as ''Plaza de la Villa'' or ''Plaza Mayor'', as it was the main square of the city where the administrative activity was concentrated: the town hall was located here and it was here that the main noble families had their

s. In the lower part is the Rúa Real (Royal Street), which was also the most important street and axis of the city at the time. The square was also used as a stage for theatrical performances when there was no theatre in the city. In 1809, the central 18th century house located to the west of the square (at number 8) served as headquarters for the occupying French troops. General Franceschi lived there and

Marshal Ney Michel Ney, 1st Duke of Elchingen, 1st Prince of the Moskva (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one o ...

spent a night there. Later, from 1886, this house was the headquarters of the Bank of Spain in the city. In 1848, a small theatre was set up in the Plaza de Teucro, until the Teatro- Liceo opened in 1878. On 2 June 1858, the Liceo Casino moved to the Pazo of the Counts of San Román and remained there until the inauguration of its own building on 2 August 1878.

Description

It is a square designed on an almost rectangular plan, bordered by

s. It is an urban square of geometric proportions, rectangular and slightly irregular on its southern side. Princesa Street in its upper part (separated from it by a small drop) and Real Street in its lower part (separated by a small wall, a fountain and a balustrade) run alongside the square. The square is surrounded by large

s of noble families: to the north the pazo of Gago and Montenegro, to the east the pazo of the Marquis of Aranda, to the south the palace of the Counts of San Román and to the west noble houses with arcades such as that of the Pita family. The pazo of the Marquis of Aranda is located at a lower level at the level of Calle Real. Closing the eastern part of the square and in front of this

is a monumental stone fountain built in 1970 attached to the small wall that closes the square on the eastern side. The square has six stone benches and twelve orange trees lined up symmetrically on its north and south sides.

Outstanding buildings

Pontevedra_Capital_Palacio_de_los_Gago_y_Montenegro

On the north side of the square is the Pazo de los Gago y Montenegro, from the 16th century, with a Gothic arch in the door and five

Voussoir A voussoir () is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault. Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The ...

s. On its façade it has the most imposing coat of arms in the town, a large baroque stone coat of arms from 1716 with eight coats of arms inside, bearing the arms of the Gago, Ozores, Tavares, Montenegro, Mendoza, Sotomayor, Oca, Castro and Sarmiento families. It refers to the occupation of the Gago family as guardians of the gate of the walls of Pontevedra in the tower of the Burgo Bridge. The pazo was renovated in the 18th century by Antonio Félix Tavares de Tavora. It has a ground floor, two upper floors and five balcony windows on each floor. On the east side, on the edge of Calle Real, is the Pazo of the Marquis of Aranda (mayor of the

Kingdom of Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia ( gl, Reino de Galicia, or ''Galiza''; es, Reino de Galicia; pt, Reino da Galiza; la, Galliciense Regnum) was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire north ...

) from the beginning of the 18th century, with a crenellated tower (at the beginning it had two crenellated towers at its ends) and a coat of arms on its large facade with the only figures of two holders on each side in a coat of arms of the city. Pontevedra_Capital_Palacio_de_Aranda_y_Guimarey

Pontevedra_Capital_Palacio_de_Aranda_y_Guimarey

On the south side of the square is the rear façade of the Palace of the Counts of San Román, dating from the 17th century, which was the largest palace in the city. The façade now has walled arcades and has lost its crenellated tower with six balconies. It has columns of Tuscan Roman order. Inside the palace there is a small chapel with a baroque altarpiece. On the west side of the square there are Baroque houses with coats of arms and arcades on the ground floor, among which the 18th-century house of the Pita family stands out in the centre, with a large balcony.

The square in popular culture

The printing house C. Peón has been located in the square since January 1902. Classics of Galician literature were printed there, such as the first edition of ''Os vellos non-deben de namorarse'' by Castelao, in 1953. Other Galician writers of the time, such as

Celso Emilio Ferreiro Celso Emilio Ferreiro Míguez (1912–1979) was a Galicianist activist, writer, poet, and political journalist. Early years Ferreiro was born in Celanova, into a well-off Galicianist family. In 1932, at the age of twenty, he created the ''Moc ...

and Fermín Bouza Brey, also published their books there. Painters such as Carlos Sobrino also printed their lithographs there.

Gallery

File:Pontevedra-19-064-pr-teucro-3v-plan.jpg, Square with the Pazo of the Marquis of Aranda in the background File:Pontevedra Capital Gran Escudo del Palacio de Gago-Tavares.jpg, Coat of arms of the Pazo of Gago and Montenegro File:Pontevedra capital Portada palacio Gago y Montenegro.JPG, Main door of the Pazo de Gago and Montenegro File:Pontevedra-españa-casco vello - panoramio.jpg, Stone fountain File:Pontevedra-Fuente en la Calle real (10165505424).jpg, Pazo of the Counts of San Román File:Pontevedra-Plaza del Teucro 38 (14826431785).jpg, West side arcades File:Pontevedra Capital Escudo Palacio de Aranda y Guimarey.jpg, Coat of arms of the Pazo of the Marquis of Aranda File:Pontevedra-La fuente de la calle Real en el Teucro (14556208555).jpg, Stairs on the east side of the square File:Pontevedra-Soportales del Teucro (15887808491).jpg, Arcades File:Pontevedra-Anochece (15092098016).jpg, Fountain File:Pontevedra capital Escudo Armas Pazo suroeste Plaza Teucro.jpg, Coat of arms next to the Pazo of the Counts of San Román File:Pontevedra 56-12r, praza do Teucro.jpg, Coat of arms in the square File:Pontevedra 56-13r, praza do Teucro.jpg, Another coat of arms in the square

References

Bibliography

* Aganzo, Carlos (2010): Pontevedra. Ciudades con encanto. El País Aguilar. . p.67-69. * Fernández Martínez, Carla (2016). Pontevedra. La memoria rescatada: Vistas y visiones de una ciudad atlántica. Diputación de Pontevedra. . * Fontoira Surís, Rafael (2009): Pontevedra monumental. Diputación de Pontevedra. . * García-Braña, C. et al. (1988): Pontevedra, planteamiento histórico y urbanístico, Deputación Provincial de Pontevedra, Servizo de Publicacións, Pontevedra * Juega Puig, J. et al. (1996): Historia de Pontevedra. Via Láctea, A Coruña. * Juega Puig, J. (2000): As ruas de Pontevedra. Deputación Provincial de Pontevedra, Servizo de Publicacións, Pontevedra * Nieto González, Remigio (1980) : Guía monumental ilustrada de Pontevedra. Asociación de Comerciantes de la Calle Manuel Quiroga, Pontevedra. p.28-30. * Riveiro Tobío, E. (2008): Descubrir Pontevedra. Edicións do Cumio, Pontevedra. p.42-44.