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The Cathedral of Santa María, in Ciudad Rodrigo, is a National Monument that fuses Romanesque and Gothic. Its Pórtico del Perdón, of great sculptural richness, and its cloister of diverse styles stand out. The Tower of the Bells still shows traces of the War of Independence. Inside, the choir of Rodrigo Alemán is an essential jewel.
It was ordered to be built by Cardinal Francisco de Pacheco y Toledo when he did not obtain permission to build his funeral chapel in the nearby Cathedral. It is of Herrerian style and has a Latin cross plan with a single nave. On the exterior there is a wonderful dome and lantern. Also on the outside we see two coats of arms of the Cardinal made of Carrara marble. Inside, the altarpiece of three streets, made of walnut wood without polychrome, stands out. The building housed during the War of Independence a powder magazine of the French army that exploded in 1818. For this reason the church underwent a major reconstruction in 1889.
As in most cities, the Plaza Mayor is the nerve center and everything happens around it. Formerly, it was the place where the market was held, where the scribes met and where the Church of San Juan was located, one of the main churches of the city, in whose cloister the Consistory met before the current building was erected, dating from the sixteenth century. The City Hall building, located at one end of the Plaza Mayor, was restored in 1904 by Joaquín de Vargas, without respecting the original work. The third floor and the baroque belfry were removed and the south wing was added following the model of the main façade. The main Renaissance façade is formed by two galleries of three carpanel arches. Between the arches there are medallions and sculptures representing characters from Antiquity. On the sides there are two towers as buttresses, on the right one is carved the coat of arms of Charles V, the city and the mayor of that time.
The Casa de los Velasco is located in the Plaza de Amayuelas, a square that gives access to the cathedral through its north door. The Casa de los Velasco was built in the early twentieth century, and is one of the houses that help maintain the environment and the medieval atmosphere of the city despite its modernity.
Construction began in 1552. Its promoter was Canon Hernando de Miranda, who placed the coats of arms of his parents, that of Miranda, over the door, and on the sides those of Robles and Chaves, his maternal lineages. With a simple façade, the alfiz, topped by flambeaux, and the linteled doorway with sculpted coats of arms stand out. Inside there is a courtyard with eight columns, topped by capitals with coats of arms of Mirobrigenses lineages. During the War of Independence it suffered great damage to its rear part, which had to be rebuilt at the end of the 19th century.
Its construction began in the late nineteenth century, on the plots of houses belonging to the estate of Corbalán that had fallen to the Marquis of Espeja. Its promoter, a descendant of the latter, was Doña Concepción Narváez y del Águila, Marquise of Cartago. Of neo-Gothic style, the lintel of the façade stands out, with the coats of arms of Narváez and Águila; the corner balcony and the decoration of the windows in which the fleur-de-lis and the eagle, symbols of the lineage, are taken as ornamental motifs. This lady died without finishing the work and the new owners reformed and finished it in 1953.
The Urinal Museum is dedicated to this utensil of domestic use, showing more than 1350 pieces of twenty-nine nationalities, of different styles, models and designs being the oldest of the second century A.D. of Roman origin. This museum was created thanks to a collector born in Ciudad Rodrigo, José María del Arco Ortiz "Pesetos", who dedicated himself to obtain pieces all over the world, visiting antique shops, hospitals, street markets, etc. Being the urinal or chamber pot the hygienic utensil of daily use, therefore, it has been part of the history of "man, woman and child; of king and queen; of lady and maid; of the nun, the bishop, the priest and the sacristan, of the sick and the healthy", so it shows the evolution and use of it throughout history. This museum opened to the public in 2006 on the occasion of the celebration of the exhibition "Las Edades del Hombre" in Ciudad Rodrigo, although already in 1991 this collection had been shown as a traveling exhibition in different parts of Spain and Portugal. The evolution that the chamber pot has undergone for centuries and how it has adapted to different fashions and periods, socioeconomic levels of the population, ranks, social position and particular demands, such as long trips in which there were also models that could be carried with them on these occasions. An example of socioeconomic status within the world of the chamber pot are the so-called "Dompedros", furniture made of noble wood such as mahogany or palo santo, oak, chestnut or cherry, some of them with inlaid marquetry or gold leaf, with chamber pots hidden inside. With the appearance of sideboards, chairs, armchairs or armchairs, they filled and adorned the noble houses, palaces and castles, being just another item of conventional furniture. The pieces exhibited in this original museum, all of them documented and catalogued, are made of different materials such as ceramic, brass, clay, wood, porcelain, aluminum, glass or iron, and some of them even have gold and silver inlays, and others, paintings or drawings. The Urinal Museum of Ciudad Rodrigo, is among the ten most curious museums in the world and also holds a Guinness record for being one of the most unique exhibitions in the world.
It was ordered to be built in the 15th century by Francisco Vázquez, and its original angled doorway stands out, on which rests the family coat of arms of the Vázquez family, placed at an angle (as is common in many of the palaces of Ciudad Rodrigo) and framed in an alfiz. Inside, the staircase leading to the upper floor and the marvelous coffered ceiling stand out. It belonged to José Manuel Sánchez-Arjona y de Velasco, the Good Mayor. In 1928 King Alfonso XIII slept in this palace. Built by the Vázquez family at the beginning of the 16th century, its exterior combines Gothic elements, such as the alfiz that frames the main door or the window on the upper floor, and the virtuosity of the stonework, with both openings on the corner. In the second decade of the 20th century, Mr. José Manuel Sánchez-Arjona y de Velasco, the Good Mayor, owner of the house, rebuilt the exterior following a neo-medieval, neo-Renaissance and neo-Islamic style. It is possible to visit the hallway where you can admire the coffered ceiling and part of the rich Sevillian tiles (workshops Vda. de Tova Villalva) also present in other rooms, which Alfonso XIII enjoyed in 1928 when he stayed at the palace during a visit of the monarch to the city. Since 1944 it is the headquarters of the Post Office.
It is unknown who was the promoter of this palace dating from the late fifteenth century. Originally flanked by two towers, its façade stands out for its Renaissance conception in which the elements are arranged geometrically, following the line of the first Renaissance palaces in Spain. To this style belong the windows, reminiscent of those of the Casa de las Conchas in Salamanca, and the angels holding the coat of arms over the door. The door, in Gothic style, is formed by a segmental arch with large voussoirs and framed by moldings. It is flanked by two large torsal columns topped by the figures of two lions. It was the barracks of General Herrasti during the War of Independence.
Built between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by Hernando de Güemes and his son for the Aguila family, one of the most important lineages of Ciudad Rodrigo. In its facade the different constructive phases can be seen. The door of great voussoirs, with the family shields and framed by an alfiz in whose ends, on candlesticks we see the lion and the eagle, symbols of the family. The rich window on the left is Renaissance, while the balcony is from the Baroque period. The interior hides an imposing Plateresque courtyard. The carving of the sills of the upper floor, with men, masks and winged centaurs, stands out. The east bay was built by J. Tarabella in 1910, imitating the others.
Built in the time of Henry II of Trastámara (14th century) in the highest and steepest part of Ciudad Rodrigo, defending the side of the river that serves as a natural wall. In the middle of the fortified enclosure, topped with merlons, stands the keep, consisting of two cubic bodies, smaller and modern the upper one. It was a museum and hotel in the 20s of the last century, on the initiative of the "Good Mayor", Manuel Sánchez Arjona. Since 1931 it has been a Parador Nacional, making it one of the oldest in Spain.
Possibly its promoters were descendants of Moctezuma but the coats of arms that it shows belong to the Cornejo family. With three floors, it was built at the end of the XVI century or at the beginning of the XVII century. Its decoration is reduced to the minimum elements, following the austere Herrerian style and concentrating on the façade. The façade has a linteled doorway with a balcony topped by a triangular pediment with a coat of arms. In the vestibule an inscription can be seen that testifies its phase as House of the Land or of the Sexmeros. Subsequently, in 1928 it became a Secondary School, later a School of Trades, the headquarters of a radio station and, since 1984, inaugurated by the King and Queen, a Municipal House of Culture (with a library and exhibition hall).
Located in the Plaza del Conde, the current building dates from the early eighteenth century, although there was an earlier Renaissance building owned by the Nieto Silva family. After housing a barracks, in 1945 it was acquired by the Caja de Ahorros de Salamanca and completely restored by Joaquín Secall. This intervention entailed major alterations to the palace, introducing triangular pediments, Renaissance-style reliefs on the windowsills and grilles. He also created the terraced body facing Madrid Street, where the main doorway is located, recreating the old main door of the palace. The coats of arms over the main door correspond to those of the Count and his wife: Nieto, Silva, Pacheco and Guzmán.
Although it was begun in the 15th century, it has undergone numerous reforms until the 20th century. The altarpiece of the chapel, from the 16th century, and the throne room stand out. The neoclassical facade, designed by Juan de Sagarbinaga, corresponds to the eighteenth century, with a marked horizontal development, the central axis is highlighted by the balcony and the episcopal coat of arms.
The Diocesan Seminary of San Cayetano was designed in the middle of the 18th century by the architect Juan de Sagarbinaga under the mandate of Bishop Cayetano Antonio Cuadrillero y Mota. Its architecture is a notable example of the classicism of the time, with elements rebuilt in masonry after the War of Independence.
The Third Order of St. Francis for seculars had several venues for their meetings and celebrations until, finally, in 1789, they got their own space when the religious of St. John gave them the church of the Holy Sepulchre that belonged to their Encomienda. Given the poor condition of the building, they built a new church on the same site, designed by Juan de Sagarvinaga and executed by Ventura Muiños. Of neoclassical style, the most striking feature is its façade, with a portico in which six Doric columns flank the semicircular arched entrance. Over them runs a frieze with triglyphs and metopes and a massive body in which the coats of arms of the Franciscan order are observed, that of the Order of San Juan with the cross and that of San Luis king of France, patron of the Order, with the fleur-de-lis. They animate the facade an oculus and a niche with the figure of the saint. It is topped with a double belfry.
This palace was built in the 16th century, a period from which the structure and the two access doors with three-lobed arches and the frieze of grotesques that decorates the main floor are preserved. On it three coats of arms can be observed: in the center the arms of Pacheco and Osorio, the first surnames of the Marquis of Cerralbo; and in the corners, inclined according to the Walloon fashion, the arms of the Álvarez de Toledo and Enríquez. On this level there are two small torsas columns embedded in the corners that served as mullions, the remains of two corner windows. From the 19th century is the cresting that tops the building and from the 30's of the 20th century some architectural details devised by the new owners. The "inclined shields" or "terciados a la valona", very common in the civil architecture of Mirobrigense, are striking. According to legend, they would mark the houses of illegitimate children, although in reality they would respond to a fashion from the Netherlands and Germania introduced in the Peninsula with the arrival of the Hapsburgs (Charles V and Philip II).
This 16th century building was ordered to be built by the Chaves family on land that belonged to them, to house their family pantheon. Built in a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles, the access door, formed by a semicircular arch over which is placed the carving of San Agustín, the fine buttresses and the delicate Renaissance windows stand out on the outside. The church has a single nave (divided into three sections) topped by a semi-hexagonal chancel and a square presbytery. A coat of arms with keys belonging to the Chaves family can be seen on the vault. Currently, the church is the Chapel of the College of Santa Teresa de Jesus.
The church is notable for the mixture of architectural styles that can be seen in it, beginning with the Romanesque-Mudejar, which is not easy to find in this area and which belongs to the first stage of construction of the church. We can see it in the apse and in a part of the north wall, in which a Romanesque arch with floral decoration can also be seen. In the 16th century, Francisco Vázquez ordered the restoration of the building to convert it into his family pantheon. The admirable starry vault that covers the temple is preserved from that period. As a consequence of the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, it had to be restored again in the 18th century and the southern doorway dates from that period. In the interior it emphasizes the carving of the Christ of the Expiration, which is in procession during the Holy Week of Mirobrigense.
It was erected in 1739, promoted by Bishop Fray Gregorio Téllez and linked to the family of the Marquis of Cerralbo. Over time, the building has had multiple functions: artillery barracks during the War of Independence, prison and, finally, residence for the elderly.
Nothing is known of its origins, although it dates from the first half of the sixteenth century, which corresponds to the Plateresque style. It stands out for its semicircular arched doorway with large voussoirs framed by an alfiz (alfiz) framed by a chain carved in the stone, from which comes the name of the house. This element could refer to the fact that it held the right of asylum. In the original windows there is a plateresque decoration, while the rest were opened in later times. Also, the coats of arms of the Lugones and Pacheco family, protected by scallops, were added in the second half of the 16th century. This palace has suffered a lot, both by wars and by simple abandonment, housing within its walls the most diverse functions.
First solar house of the Miranda family, as the coats of arms testify, it was built in the XVI century. It was sold to the Cathedral Chapter in 1700, arriving in the twentieth century in a very poor state of preservation. Thanks to Lorenzo González Iglesias its restoration began in 1948. The most outstanding feature is the doorway open at an angle to the four streets, hence its name. It is framed by an entablature on half-columns arranged in deviation (deviated with respect to the façade to maintain the perspective). Over the door, barely, one can read an inscription in Latin that translates as "O Death, you alone are the rest from the labors of this mortal life".
Although its origin may have been Roman, nothing remains today of that period in the bridge over the Águeda River. The present Puente Mayor, known in eighteenth-century documentation as the Puente Principal or Puente Grande, is the result of two construction phases. Thus, the four arches closest to the suburb date from the medieval period, and the part closest to the city, which in the middle of the 16th century was made of wood, was designed in 1769 by Juan de Sagarbinaga, who, together with Simón del Cotero Crespo, was in charge of its materialization.
In 1558 the widening of the Plaza Mayor of Ciudad Rodrigo was announced, forcing the demolition of several noble houses. In its place, in 1580 the city jail was built and the irregular character of the Plaza was configured, more or less as we know it today. In 1791, according to the inscription preserved on the facade of the building, the Audiencia de Ciudad Rodrigo, rebuilt a few years earlier, was already in existence. It is very possible that the neoclassical facade is the work of the Basque architect Juan de Sagarvinaga, the same one who was involved in the completion of the construction of the New Cathedral of Salamanca between 1752 and 1766. At the beginning of the 20th century the building was also used as the Town Hall while the traditional Town Hall was being renovated. The adaptation of the building to be used as a guest house has undergone several restoration processes. The latest interventions were carried out in September 2010, with the recovery of the stonework of the old portal, and in 2018 with the restoration of the wooden staircase leading to the second floor. In the lower part of the building, two old dungeons are still preserved.
Built on the site where the synagogue of the city was located. The land was donated by the Catholic Monarchs for the construction of the building once the Jews were expelled from Ciudad Rodrigo in 1492. Externally, the access door made by Juan de Sagarvinaga in a neoclassical style stands out. Inside we can see several works of great sculptural richness, such as the crucified Christ of Lucas Mitata and the ivory carving of the Virgin of Buen Suceso. It is also worth admiring the original floor, which belonged to the synagogue that was located here and has reached our days in a perfect state of preservation. This building is now part of a nursing home. The interior can be visited on certain occasions.
Also called Cuartel de la Bomba, it was built in the 18th century to store cannons and other weapons of war; during the War of Independence it served as a shelter for the troops. The coat of arms of the Bourbons on its façade stands out. It was a high school.
It was ordered to be built in 1523 by Canon Francisco Gómez de Silva in Renaissance style, of which some interesting details can still be seen, despite having been completely renovated inside and having opened all kinds of openings in its facade during the twentieth century, when it housed a breadbasket and later enabled for housing and commercial first floor. In the facade it emphasizes the cover framed by an alfiz and the figures in relief on the door: two figures half human, half vegetable, with bearded masculine face and of great expressiveness, they hold between both the shield with the arms of the family.
Of the house of the Garcilópez de Chaves, built in the first half of the 15th century, which occupied the entire block, only the tower remains, originally with loopholes, erected in 1496, and later demolished and much renovated, as it was a cavalry barracks during the 18th century, later housing the Casino Mirobrigense and more recently the Centro Cultural el Porvenir (Cultural Center of El Porvenir). The spiral staircase turret stands out on the facade; the coats of arms on the corners, with their carved stone straps, arranged "a la valona" (inclined); and the plateresque ornaments of the windows, which were opened in the 16th century. Since the War of Independence it has been known as the "house of the cannon" because, according to tradition, there was one mounted there with which the French were shot when they entered the Plaza Mayor.
The boar of Ciudad Rodrigo, made by the Celtic people of the Vetons, is the representation of a pig, a sacred animal for the Celts. It is a dynamic piece, that is to say, it appears in an attacking attitude, as it would belong to the second category and symbolize the defense of the community and its ethnic values.
This 16th century house was the result of the union of Juan Díez de Cueto and Doña Juan de Caraveo. Although it has undergone important modifications, it still retains its semicircular arch doorway with large voussoirs, slightly trimmed when the balcony was opened in the eighteenth century. Its most striking element is the delicate corner window under the angled shield and the beautiful cornice of balls.
The building was erected in 1613 by Manuel Enríquez, alderman of the city, and his wife Isabel. Its facade of simple composition follows the models of the austere architecture of that time. The coats of arms on trimmed hides stand out. During the 18th century it was the seat of the Government and the Corregidor's house. After the extinction of direct descent in the nineteenth century, the house became the property of the Marquis of Espeja and Don Antonio Sánchez Arjona y Nieto de Paz as heirs of the entailed estate. Later, it was renovated for housing and commercial use.
The building was erected in 1613 by Manuel Enríquez, alderman of the city, and his wife Isabel. Its facade of simple composition follows the models of the austere architecture of that time. The coats of arms on trimmed hides stand out. During the 18th century it was the seat of the Government and the Corregidor's house. After the extinction of the direct descendants in the 19th century, the house became the property of the Marquis of Espeja and Don Antonio Sánchez Arjona y Nieto de Paz as heirs of the entailed estate. Later, it was renovated for housing and commercial use.
It was built at the beginning of the 16th century by Diego Núñez, nephew of the "Licenciado de Ciudad Rodrigo" Antón Núñez. Its coat of arms is located on its striking corner window, so frequent in this city. It has undergone several modifications, but still retains its semicircular voussoir façade.
This set of three Roman columns of Tuscan order can be dated to the first century AD. Of uncertain origin, they could come from different monuments or constitute a term or augustal landmark as an organizing element of the territory, putting Ciudad Rodrigo, Ledesma and Salamanca in relation in an inscription that has in the base. They were found in 1557 in a building in the upper part of the city. In the 16th century a plaque commemorating their discovery was placed next to it and a replica of the Augustan inscription was made and placed on the entablature. Placed in that year next to the City Hall, they were there until 1899, in 1923 they were mounted in the Campo de Toledo and since 1973 they are at the entrance of the road to Salamanca. Since ancient times they have been part of the coat of arms of Ciudad Rodrigo and for many they refer to its motto "Ciudad Antigua, Noble y Leal" (Ancient, Noble and Loyal City).
Tradition has it that St. Francis was in Ciudad Rodrigo in 1214, staying in the convent of San Gil. Once he returned to Italy, he made two Franciscans come to Ciudad Rodrigo to found a convent in the same place where the convent where he stayed during his stay in the city was located. It was a building of great dimensions, of which today we can only enjoy the chapel of the Centenos and the Águilas (for which the wonderful sculpture of the Calvary was made, a work of Juan de Juni that is currently kept in the National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid).
With origins in the Middle Ages, of which it preserves two Romanesque doorways, most of its current structure dates from the eighteenth century.
It is the oldest in Ciudad Rodrigo, founded in the twelfth century, but later expanded and rebuilt in the eighteenth century.
With origins in the XVIII century, it was reformed in the 50's of the XX century.
Founded in the 17th century to care for local orphans, today it is a mixed residence for the elderly.
The Puerta del Sol is a medieval construction of the fourteenth century, built during the reign of Henry II of Trastámara. Its name comes from its fully eastern orientation, being the most exposed gate to the east of the city. Originally it had defensive towers, which makes it one of the most important fortified gates of the enclosure. At the end of the 16th century it underwent a restoration that modified some of its structural elements. At the beginning of the 18th century its vaults were rebuilt. After remaining closed for an undetermined period, it was reopened definitively in the 19th century.
The Puerta del Conde takes its name from Don Rodrigo González Girón, to whom the repopulation of the city is attributed and whose name gave rise to the denomination of Ciudad Rodrigo. Originally, this access was associated with one of the towers of the medieval wall.
Originally it was a small gateway, which since the fourteenth century was known as "de Santa Maria" because of its proximity to the cathedral and today is known as Puerta de Amayuelas because of the palace that stood next to it, that of the Counts of Amayuelas. This open access in the center of the north wall, was protected by a flanking tower that disappeared in 1812, as this area was at the center of the fighting between the troops francesas🇫🇷, who defended the square, and inglesas🇬🇧, who tried to enter, finally managing to open the wall, which is known as the "small breach", in whose vicinity died General Robert Craufurd. In 1954 it was enlarged by opening a large arch next to it, becoming the widest access to the city and receiving the name of "New Gate", facilitating the movement of transport of the new times.
The door seems to date from the 16th century. It was originally a narrow gate known as Puerta de San Vicente, a name it took from the nearby parish of San Vicente, now disappeared. Over time, the passage was widened to facilitate the transit of carts and goods. In the 17th century it became known as Puerta de Santa Cruz, as it led to the neighboring convent. After the installation, in 1711, of the convent of nuns of Sancti Spíritus next to this entrance, the door also adopted the name of Door of Sancti Spíritus, denomination that has arrived to our days next to the previous ones.
This gate was restored in the 90s of the last century, also received the names of Puerta de San Blas or Puerta de Agueda, referring to the river, for which it is the most direct access from the city, especially if you want to cross the bridge. The confluence at this point of the waters of the city in its natural descent to the river is possibly the origin of its current name, since the waters "strained" out of the walls. But others argue that its name comes from the cattle passes called "coladas", taking into account that this was the most comfortable area for access to the city. Well protected by the castle, it maintains its medieval appearance on the outside, with the cigoñales or arrows that left space for the drawbridge mechanism. On the inside, five pairs of buttresses stand out, which were intended to contain barracks designed in the second decade of the 17th century by Count Carlos de Robellín, a French engineer and military officer under the orders of Philip V.
Located on the south side of the city, it receives its present name from an ancient parish outside the walls dedicated to the apostle, which no longer exists today. However, during the 14th century it was known as the Gate of the Jews, because the synagogue was located next to it. The restoration that was carried out in 2002 uncovered ancient moats and barbicans, which have been drawn on the pavement, and one of the moats that protected it and whose presence can be sensed by the cigoñales for the drawbridge that remains on the facade was left uncovered.
