A Potted History Lesson ÚBEDA S I - Mojacar.WS · has old Mudejar features. Stand to ... Some of...
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S pain's mineral wealth attracted all the early Mediterranean civilisations and as long ago as a thousand years before Christ there were fortified bronze age settlements in the copper-rich, upper reaches of the Guadalquivir river. For a time it was the fief of the people of Carthage, a city-state in North Africa, but after the second Punic war (around 200 BC) Rome became dominant in Spain. The Roman "Via Augusta" followed the Guadalquivir valley from Cádiz to Salaria (on the out- skirts of present day Úbeda) then ran past Albacete and on to Tarragona. With the decline of the Roman empire and the advent of the dark ages, the Visigoths held sway until, in AD 711, Spain was again invaded from north Africa, this time by the Moors, who founded the Al Andalus dynasty with its capital in Córdoba. For 300 years Moors, Muladies (converts to Islam) and Christians co-existed but, in 1031, the vigorous Caliphate of Córdoba disintegrated into squabbling Moslem territories. At about the same time that Harold of England was being given one in the eye by William, the northern (Christian) kingdom of Castille, un- der Alphonso VI, decided to take ad- vantage of the weakened Moslems to plunder fresh territory, and the city of Toledo (about 50 miles south of Madrid) was conquered in 1085. Castille's military advance was finally halted by the Almoravids, who re-unified what remained of Al Andalus and built fortresses to guard the frontier with Castille. However, Christian incursions continued. In 1125 Alphonso the Warrior almost conquered Granada and in 1147 Alphonso VII held sway over the upper Guadalquivir valley. Fortunes changed in 1195, when the Moslems gained a great victory at the Battle of Al Arcos but in 1212 the Almohad army (successors to the Almoravids) was heavily defeated by a Crusader army at Navas de Tolosa. This battle marked the beginning of the decline of Mos- lem influence and the start of a pe- riod of intrigues and treachery. For example, Ferdinand III of Castille was ceded the town of Martos and even permitted to lay siege to Baeza, a town very close to Úbeda, which fell to him in 1226. Then, in 1232, in exchange for assurances from King Ferdinand of Castille that his life and title would be guaranteed, Iban Al-Ahmar ceded Jaén to the king of Castille and, in return, was proclaimed the Emir of Arjona, although he had to pay hom- age to King Ferdinand. Four years later he entered Granada, establishing this as the new capital for his Nazrid sultanate. Jaén, a "Holy Reign", was made responsible for the surveillance of the mountainous southern border with the Nazrids, a frontier which lasted for the next two and a half centuries. Thus, by the time construction started on the Alhambra Palace and Granada flowered as a centre of Arab culture, the province of Jaén had already fallen to the mediaeval Christian kingdom of Castille. All was not peaceful, but alongside the raids and the changing alliances, economic and trade relations were maintained, add- ing to the colourful history of south- ern Spain. A Potted History Lesson Ú beda grew from an Arab stronghold, close to the site of the Roman town of Salaria, in the first half of the ninth century. By the end of that century it was a flourishing, walled city, a centre of Arabic culture, especially noted for music and dance, and a major source of saffron, esparto, amethyst, talc and marcasite. It was savagely sacked by crusaders after the battle of Navas de Tolosa (see the potted history box) and in 1233 it fell permanently to the kingdom of Castille (and the catholic church!) There followed a period of revolts against the new nobility, before Úbeda began to flourish as a mediaeval renaissance town. Nepotism was alive and well, and many of the stately homes one admires today were owned by members of the same few families, with connections to the aristocracy and administration of Castille. I f you are interested in matters Mediaeval then you will enjoy visiting the town of Úbeda, just beyond Jaén. It is a truly "monumental" town, steeped in history. Indeed, walking around Úbeda is like stepping into a time machine. There are many buildings of interest, dating from before the rise to fame of Granada. Near most of them you will find a triangular post, on the three faces of which is a description (in English and Spanish) of the building's history and architecture. There are roadside signposts for the tourist information office, but don't attempt the last bit of the drive there. It's in a narrow alley, along which you might be able to travel on a mule - but not by car! There are many museums in Úbeda, covering ceramics, art, archaeology and handicrafts, most of which seem to be open mornings and afternoons but with a break of at least two hours for lunch. However, some major places, such as the archaeological museum and the ceramics museum, are closed on Mondays. Some museums are free, others charge a modest fee, usually around 2.50. Various tour companies offer guided, walking tours of Úbeda, lasting just under two hours, every morning and afternoon. On Friday and Saturday nights there are ‘teatralizados’ (Tours with actors in costume.) Book with "Atlante", near the Parador, in the plaza del Ayuntamiento, The buildings that house the convent of Santa Clara date from the 13th to 18th centuries. This order of cloistered nuns was founded in 1290, making it the first Franciscan convent in Andalucía. The church area is open to visitors but not the rest of the convent. It is possible, however, to buy the nuns' baked produce, mainly biscuits and breads. There is a turn- table in a room to the left of the main entrance, in Calle Santa Clara, with a list of what's available. Having decided what you would like, place your money on the turntable, ring the bell and wait. When an invisible voice responds, state your order. The nun will revolve the table, collect your money, put your order on the turntable and rotate it back to you. If, at the far end of Calle Santa Clara, you turn left into Calle Narvaez and walk down, following the small "Museo" signs on the walls, you will eventually come to "Casa Museo", a museum of Andalucían art. It's in a delightful 16th century house but also has old Mudejar features. Stand to one side of the courtyard and look up to see all the patterns carved into the woodwork. There are many old artefacts here, including a huge child's bathtub made of clay. There is also an interesting collection of ancient carpenter's tools. ÚBEDA (below and right) Two views of the city walls, taken from the outer perimeter road.
Transcript of A Potted History Lesson ÚBEDA S I - Mojacar.WS · has old Mudejar features. Stand to ... Some of...
Spain's mineral wealthattracted all the earlyMediterranean civilisations
and as long ago as a thousand yearsbefore Christ there were fortifiedbronze age settlements in thecopper-rich, upper reaches of theGuadalquivir river. For a time it wasthe fief of the people of Carthage, acity-state in North Africa, but afterthe second Punic war (around 200BC) Rome became dominant inSpain. The Roman "Via Augusta"followed the Guadalquivir valleyfrom Cádiz to Salaria (on the out-skirts of present day Úbeda) thenran past Albacete and on toTarragona. With the decline of theRoman empire and the advent of thedark ages, the Visigoths held swayuntil, in AD 711, Spain was againinvaded from north Africa, this timeby the Moors, who founded the AlAndalus dynasty with its capital inCórdoba.For 300 years Moors, Muladies(converts to Islam) and Christiansco-existed but, in 1031, the vigorousCaliphate of Córdoba disintegratedinto squabbling Moslem territories.At about the same time that Haroldof England was being given one inthe eye by William, the northern(Christian) kingdom of Castille, un-der Alphonso VI, decided to take ad-vantage of the weakened Moslemsto plunder fresh territory, and thecity of Toledo (about 50 miles southof Madrid) was conquered in 1085.Castille's military advance wasfinally halted by the Almoravids,who re-unified what remained of AlAndalus and built fortresses to guardthe frontier with Castille.However, Christian incursionscontinued. In 1125 Alphonso theWarrior almost conquered Granadaand in 1147 Alphonso VII held swayover the upper Guadalquivir valley.
Fortunes changed in 1195, when theMoslems gained a great victory atthe Battle of Al Arcos but in 1212the Almohad army (successors tothe Almoravids) was heavilydefeated by a Crusader army atNavas de Tolosa. This battle markedthe beginning of the decline of Mos-lem influence and the start of a pe-riod of intrigues and treachery.For example, Ferdinand III ofCastille was ceded the town ofMartos and even permitted to laysiege to Baeza, a town very close toÚbeda, which fell to him in 1226.Then, in 1232, in exchange forassurances from King Ferdinand ofCastille that his life and title wouldbe guaranteed, Iban Al-Ahmar cededJaén to the king of Castille and, inreturn, was proclaimed the Emir ofArjona, although he had to pay hom-age to King Ferdinand. Four yearslater he entered Granada,establishing this as the new capitalfor his Nazrid sultanate.Jaén, a "Holy Reign", was maderesponsible for the surveillance ofthe mountainous southern borderwith the Nazrids, a frontier whichlasted for the next two and a halfcenturies. Thus, by the timeconstruction started on theAlhambra Palace and Granadaflowered as a centre of Arab culture,the province of Jaén had alreadyfallen to the mediaeval Christiankingdom of Castille. All was notpeaceful, but alongside the raids andthe changing alliances, economic andtrade relations were maintained, add-ing to the colourful history of south-ern Spain.
A Potted History Lesson
Úbeda grew from an Arabstronghold, close to thesite of the Roman town of
Salaria, in the first half of theninth century. By the end of thatcentury it was a flourishing,walled city, a centre of Arabicculture, especially noted formusic and dance, and a majorsource of saffron, espar to,amethyst, talc and marcasite.It was savagely sacked bycrusaders after the battle ofNavas de Tolosa (see the pottedhistory box)
and in 1233 it fell permanentlyto the kingdom of Castille (andthe catholic church!) Therefollowed a period of revoltsagainst the new nobility, beforeÚbeda began to flourish as amediaeval renaissance town.Nepotism was alive and well,and many of the statelyhomes one admirestoday wereownedb y
members of the same fewfamilies, with connections to thearistocracy and administration ofCastille.
If you are interested in matters Mediaeval then you will enjoy visiting the town of Úbeda, just
beyond Jaén. It is a truly"monumental" town, steeped inhistory. Indeed, walking aroundÚbeda is like stepping into a timemachine.There are many buildings of interest,dating from before the rise to fame ofGranada. Near most of them you willfind a triangular post, on the threefaces of which is a description (inEnglish and Spanish) of the building'shistory and architecture.There are roadside signposts for thetourist information office, but don'tattempt the last bit of the drive there.It's in a narrow alley, along which youmight be able to travel on a mule - butnot by car!There are many museums in Úbeda,covering ceramics, art, archaeologyand handicrafts, most of which seemto be open mornings and afternoonsbut with a break of at least two hoursfor lunch. However, some majorplaces, such as the archaeologicalmuseum and the ceramics museum,are closed on Mondays. Somemuseums are free, others charge amodest fee, usually around 2.50.Various tour companies offer guided,walking tours of Úbeda, lasting justunder two hours, every morning andafternoon. On Friday and Saturdaynights there are ‘teatralizados’ (Tourswith actors in costume.) Book with
"Atlante", near theParador, in the plazadel Ayuntamiento,The buildings that house the conventof Santa Clara date from the 13th to18th centuries. This order ofcloistered nuns was founded in 1290,making it the first Franciscan conventin Andalucía. The church area is opento visitors but not the rest of theconvent. It is possible, however, tobuy the nuns' baked produce, mainlybiscuits and breads. There is a turn-table in a room to the left of the mainentrance, in Calle Santa Clara, with alist of what's available. Having decidedwhat you would like, place yourmoney on the turntable, ring the belland wait. When an invisible voiceresponds, state your order. The nunwill revolve the table, collect yourmoney, put your order on theturntable and rotate it back to you.If, at the far end of Calle Santa Clara,you turn left into Calle Narvaez andwalk down, following the small"Museo" signs on the walls, you willeventually come to "Casa Museo", amuseum of Andalucían art. It's in adelightful 16th century house but alsohas old Mudejar features. Stand toone side of the courtyard and look upto see all the patterns carved into thewoodwork. There are many oldartefacts here, including a huge child'sbathtub made of clay. There is alsoan interesting collection of ancientcarpenter's tools.
ÚBEDA
(below and right)
Two views of the city walls, takenfrom the outer perimeter road.
The pottery shops are concentratedin Calle Valencia which is best reachedby car unless you're feeling energetic.The Museo Paco Tito is also here.This is a "living museum", still hand-making ceramic ware and claysculptures according to ancienttraditions. A complete bathroom,where even the flush cistern was hand-made, is on display in Paco Tito'sworkshops. In another part of thismultistorey museum there are un-believably lifelike statues, includingan inspired range of Don Quijotescenes. These figures are superblylifelike in every detail - and we domean in every detail. Take a peekunder his garments! But don't thinkyou can walk in and buy one on thespot. There's a waiting list of manymonths. This is not the bulk stuff fortourists - and nor are the prices!If you drive down Calle Valencia andkeep going, (it's a heavily cobbledroad) you reach the fringes of thetown. The road becomes tarmac,albeit with a few potholes and roughpatches, and follows the line of theouter fortifications of the old town.Eventually, it comes out on to theN 322 at kilometre 149A, allowing
you to circle back into the modernpart of Úbeda.Here, away from the historic quarter,there are many clothing shopscovering fashions from ultra modernto ultra staid. In fact, as you wanderdown the Calle de Obispo Cobos, youmight feel you've reached the clothesshopper's paradise!
Some of the artefacts in the Museo de Arte Andalusi. (left to right) A 14th century wooden effigy of Christ;a 16th century wine vat; a bowl made from blown glass, also 16th century; and a 15th century foot scraper.
The church of Santa Maria of the Royal Alcazares, which dates from1233AD, rests on the foundations of the main mosque of muslim Úbeda,itself built on the site of a Roman temple to Diana. The facade of the
church is superimposed on the old citadel'swalls.
Until 1852 this wasranked as a high
collegiatechurch.
The Palace of Juan Vazquez de Molina. He was Secretary of State toEmperor Charles and later Chamberlain to Phillip II. Construction began
in1540. Juan Vazquez never inhabited the palace,converting it into a Dominican convent.
It is now the town hall.The remains ofbronze agesettlementshave beenfoundhere
Manyshops sellceramic
ware, muchof it made
on thepremises
THIS ARTICLE ON THE TOWN OF UBEDAFIRST APPEARED IN ISSUE NUMBER 188
of ìTALISMANî magazine.
(Article continues on next pages)
Make your way toGuadix and con-
tinue towards Granada.About ten kilometresafter Guadix, at exit 282,leave the motorway,following the signs forJaén. Five minutes later,near milestone 171, youreach the A 301, signposted toMoreda, La Carolina and Úbeda. Thisis not the fastest route to Úbeda, butit is more scenic (as you can see fromthese photos) and, although there aremany curves, the road is wide. Sinceyou will almost certainly wish todrive slowly and admire the views,allow an hour and a half for the 100kilometre distance.The faster route is to continuetowards the motorway and Jaén. WithJaén looming in the distance, turn offat kilometre 42 towards the town andalmost immediately branch off again,following the signs for Mancha Real,Baeza and Úbeda.
There's a lovely picnic stop nearwhere you turn off the motorway toGranada, at exit 282. Instead offollowing the signs for Ubeda, headfor La Peza and you will reach adam, with plenty of parking spacesfor picnickers and with beautifulviews. If time allows, carry on pastthe dam to the village of La Peza,work your way through the narrowstreets of the village, reminiscentof Bedar, and ascend the hill. Hereyou will find the ruins of a ninthcentury castle which is beingrestored.
STAYING THEREGETTINGto ÚBEDA Modern Úbeda has various
hotels and hostals, but thereare two excellent hotels in the oldtown, the three star "Rosaleda de DonPedro" and a four star Parador.To reach the Rosaleda by car, makeyour way to the plaza with the under-ground car park, (see "Getting toÚbeda") then turn to the rightfollowing, yet again, the signs for the"Oficina de Turismo". The road squig-gles through a double "S" bend andthen runs directly down hill. Eventu-ally, near a sign on your right reading"Antiguedades" there is a Y-junction,the left hand fork of which has a "Noentry" sign. Just below the "Noentry" sign it says "Excepto hotel ycocheras" meaning that visitors to theHotel may ignore the "No entry"instruction.
Current Rates(excluding 7% IVA)
Hotel Rosaleda de Don PedroTlf: 902 100710 (Central bookingoffice.) Price varies with season.Double room: 75A a night.(Feb)Single room: 55A a night. (Feb)Basement parking: 9A per night.
Parador of Constable DavalosDouble room: 140 /150A a night.Parking: Not available.Breakfast: 13A per head.Lunch or dinner: 28A per head
Provided one of you is over 60years of age the Parador gives aroom discount of 35% if claimedwhen booking. (i.e. you can get theroom for around 95A)
After entering Úbeda from theroundabout on the main road (toBaeza) you will reach the Hospitalof St. James, a hugely impressivebuilding. Here you must turn right asthere is a "No-entry" sign ahead.Follow the yellow signs for the"Oficina de Turismo". A hundred andfifty yards down this street turn left,still following the signs for "Oficinade Turismo" and you eventually reacha large square. Directly ahead of youthere is a church and, to your right, isthe BBVA. To your left is a glass lifttower with a large "P" sign on it. Thisis the entrance to undergroundparking.
Take the left fork and go about 30yards down the one way street untilyou reach another "No entry" sign,this time with no exceptions! Turnup the narrow alley to your left, calledCalle Obispo Toral, and you will entera small square containing somegarages. Continue through the squareand up the alley for another thirty orso yards and, on your left, you willsee a large recess with the doors of ahuge lift facing you. Park in thisrecess and walk up a few yards to thefront entrance of the hotel, wherereception will open the lift doors,allowing you to park in the basement.The Parador is near the town hall andis signposted. It doesn’t have off-street parking, but security does notseem to pose a problem in Úbeda.
The sacred chapel of El Salvador
The private dining room andthe gallery / library in hotel
Rosaleda de Don Pedro.
The Plaza Vazquez Molina. The town hall is on the leftof the photo and the Parador is immediately to the leftof the chapel of El Salvador (in centre of photo)
The realism of the ceramics in the Museo Paco Tito is truly amazing.The ceramic violin is so convincingly wood-like that only by touching it can you
be persuaded that it is, indeed, clay. The statues will hold you spell-bound.
The church of San Isidorowas constructed during
the 16th century. Itwas built over anoriginal Gothictemple, dating from1249 and which,in all probablility,was built over an
oldmosque.
(right) As you drive into Úbedafrom the Jaén-Baeza road, theJesuit church is on your right.
(below) On its facade, it bearsa huge relief of Christ and theapostles.
(above) "Casa Museo" is a16th century house, butwith many Mudejarfeatures.(left) The woodwork is amass of intricate carvedpatterns.
The ninth century castle at La Peza is being restored
THIS ARTICLE ON THE TOWN OF UBEDAFIRST APPEARED IN ISSUE NUMBER 188
of ìTALISMANî magazine.
