#SeekingMary: Old World Charm of Salamanca

 

Crossing tower of the Old Cathedral
with the dome of the New Cathedral in the background

Part of any journey is a long drive. Many times, we don’t reach our destination right away. But getting there can be fun if you learn to enjoy the ride. Our journey through Spain spanned several days. From Fatima, Portugal we took a long drive to Salamanca, Spain with a stop for lunch in Guarda. The trip was both prayerful and fun because we spent most of the morning in prayer and then getting to know the other pilgrims.

Salamanca is an ancient university town with a 2,000-year-old history. Its Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I immediately fell under its charm and added it to my list of favorite destinations. I wish we had more time to explore the place but what I saw of it will be golden pages in my book of travel memories.

The Cathedrals were treasure troves of history. The Old Cathedral, St. Mary of the See (Catedral Vieja de Santa Maria de la Sede) connects to the New Cathedral (Catedral Nueva), a National Monument. It took 200 years to complete this, so different types of architecture are incorporated into it. The front entrance even includes an astronaut carved on its portico as proof that its construction reached the modern ages.

Salamanca Catedral Nueva

Soaking in the ambience of Plaza Mayor with its cafes and teeming crowd made me want to live in one of the apartments overlooking it. To stay in such a charming place that’s so full of life would be an experience. But I probably won’t get much sleep when they hold concerts there.

The next day, before bidding Salamanca “adios”, we took time to hear an early morning mass at the chapel of R.R. Madres Dominicas Dueñas, raided a barely open coffee shop

 

and indulged our inner children with some silly poses with the Sitting Man statue (probably the writer Miguel de Unamuno). 

Salamanca is one place I’d like to visit again. 

Highlights:

Old Cathedral

Apse Altar with a large fresco depicting the final judgment. Beneath it is an altarpiece with 53 compartmentalized scenes from the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary painted in the mid-15^th century by Nicholas of Florence

New Cathedral

Majestic Side Nave of Catedral Nueva

Universidad de Salamanca

Plateresque facade of the University of Salamanca

The University of Salamanca is one of the oldest universities in Europe.

Casa de las Conchas

The home of Rodrigo Arias Maldonado de Talavera (Knight of the Order of Santiago de Compostela) is decorated with more than 300 shells, symbol of the Order of Santiago, as well as the pilgrims performing the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago).

 

Plaza Mayor

The plaza is at the city’s historic center and is considered as the heart of La Dorada (Golden City). It is regarded as one of the most beautiful plazas in Spain with its unique artistic achievement in Baroque art.