Alcazar de Segovia - Spain
by Juergen Weiss
Title
Alcazar de Segovia - Spain
Artist
Juergen Weiss
Medium
Photograph
Description
This image shows the amazing " Castle Alcazar of Segovia ", an architectural masterpiece located in the old city of Segovia in Spain.
The Alcazar of Segovia (literally, "Segovia Fortress") is a castle, located in the old city of Segovia, Spain. Rising out on a rocky crag above the confluence of two rivers near the Guadarrama mountains, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape like the bow of a ship.
The Alcazar was originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then. It is currently used as a museum and a military archives building.
The Alcazar of Segovia, like many fortifications in Spain, started off as Roman fort, but apart from the foundations, little of the original structure remains. A Muslim era fort, which was itself largely replaced by the present structure, was built by the Berber Almoravid dynasty.
The first reference to this particular "alcazar" was in 1120, around 32 years after the city of Segovia returned to Christian hands (during the time when King Alfonso VI reconquered lands to the south of the Duero river down to Toledo and beyond).
The shape and form of the Alcazar was not known until the reign of King Alfonso VIII (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, made this alcazar their principal residence and much work was carried out to erect the beginnings of the stone fortification we see today.
The Alcazar of Segovia was one of the favorite residences of the monarchs of Castile in the Middle Ages, and a key fortress in the defence of the kingdom. It was during this period that most of the current building was constructed by the Trastamara dynasty.
In 1258, parts of the Alcazar had to be rebuilt by King Alfonso X after a cave-in and soon after the Hall of Kings was built to house Parliament. However, the single largest contributor to the continuing construction of the Alcazar is King John II who built the "New Tower" (John II tower as it is known today).
In 1474, the Alcazar played a major role in the rise of Queen Isabella I. On 12 December news of the King Henry IV's death in Madrid reached Segovia and Isabella immediately took refuge within the walls of this Alcazar where she received the support of Andres Cabrera and Segovia's council. She was enthroned the next day as Queen of Castile and Leon.
The next major renovation at the Alcazar 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.
The royal court eventually moved to Madrid and the Alcazar then served as a state prison for almost two centuries before King Charles III founded the Royal Artillery School in 1762. It served this function for almost a hundred years until 6 March 1862 where a fire badly damaged the roofs of the treasury, keep, armory, sleeping quarters, and framework.
It was only in 1882 that the building was slowly restored to its original state. In 1896, King Alfonso XIII ordered the Alcazar to be handed over to the Ministry of War as a military college. (Resource Wikipedia).
Uploaded
August 15th, 2011
Statistics
Viewed 1,389 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 03/22/2024 at 4:52 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Comments (2)
Kelly Jones
So lovely! I dearly want to go to spain! One Day !
Juergen Weiss replied:
Thank you for commenting on my " Alcazar de Segovia " - Photograph, Kelly ! " I would be happy for YOU ;-) ;-) ! " All the Best, Juergen