Monuments in Salamanca - What to see
The Cathedral
At the end of 15th century, when the gothic style decay and appear the Renaissance one, arises the plateresque as a symbiosis between both of them. The new cathedral of Salamanca is a great representative work of this style. Name of "new" comes because, unlike which it used to happen at that time when the construction of a new building entailed demolishing the previous one, in this case was not made thus and "old" cathedral coexist to the side of the New. Tower of the Rooster is representative of the old Romanesque cathedral. In his rich interior, is admired, to a side, the Golden Chapel with valuable sculptures and outside, the "Patio Chico", where the union of the two cathedrals can be appreciated. From here, a small alley, the Calderon street, unites the Cathedral with university zone.
The University
Although the primitive university were erected by Alfonso IX almost at the same time with the ones of Paris and Bologna, the impressive facade which can be contemplated, a truly plateresque jewel, was erected by the Catholic Kings. For that reason the kings signature esculpture with Greek inscriptions is seen in the central medallion of the facade "kings by the University and Universidad by the Kings". And this is not the unique thing that will make us stop to contemplate the cover, since in its profuse reliefs of the time of Carlos V a frog is on the head of a skull. According to the tradition, the student who sees the frog will have luck in the examinations. A good number of students and tourists will spend great time in the door to find the frog. In the center of the plaza outside the University facade, it is the Statue of Fray Luis of Leon, the professor poet and, in the interior, the room where he gave classes, as intact it even conserves the most interesting furniture of the time and the commemorative inscription of "As we said yesterday...", that he pronounced the first day in which he gave classes after years in jail condemned by the Inquisition. Also can be visited the classroom where Unamuno taught classes and the immense library that reunites 160,000 old volumes, many of them of inestimable value. One of the University buildings is "Patio de escuelas", a gorgeous Renaissance courtyard with the typical salmantine arches. There we can admire the painting mural of the sky of Salamanca.
Anaya palace
constructed in 18th century in neoclassic style, is one of "monuments of the knowledge" that the different religious orders created like faculties or superior schools.
House of the Shells
is a symbolic monument of Salamanca and the more representative civil monument of the isabeline Renaissance. Constructed in 15th century, it stands out by its singular facade, covered with shells because of the jacobean "silver way".
Clerecia,
this baroque monumental building was erected by the Jesuits in 18th century. It has a church equipped with a great cupola and altarpieces covered with gold in jesuitic style. It distributes itself through a set of interesting architectonic structures that finish in a gorgeous patio.
Plaza Mayor.
When arriving at Salamanca we must inmediatly go to the Plaza Mayor, for many the most beautiful of Spain even the world. Of barroque influence, its construction begun in 1729 and finalized in 1788. Its magnificency is due to the art of Churriguera. He created this splendid architectonic space for urban and daily use. From here, heart of the salmantine people day and night, we can be taken a pause and then continue entering the Prior street, where we will arrive at another architectonic set of great interest with jewels like Purisima Church, the Convent of Santa Ursula, the Church of the Capuchinos in the neighboring Ramon and Cajal street and the Archbishop of Fonseca or Irish School, just alongside, built in the 16th century, with one of most beautiful courtyards of the Spanish Renaissance, and the altarpiece of its Church, work of Berruguete.
The convents
Closely together to the Cathedral and following Gran Via street, we will arrive at a zone with a peculiar concentration of convents: The Dueñas Convent and Museum, a plateresque building whose construction was finalized in 16th century. It has an imposing cloister and a gorgeous patio. San Esteban Convent was constructed in 16th century by Juan de Álava, is also a masterpiece of the plateresque arquitecture. It impresses his great monumental facade under a full vault of sculptures of Saints. Its Altar is work of Churriguera. The School of Calatrava, nowadays serves like seminary, is a gorgeous baroque building, constructed by Churriguera.
Other monuments
Finally, and although still are left in the pocket a great number of monuments in this architectonic jewel that is Salamanca, we will not let to mention the Roman Bridge crossing Tormes river, one of the best one conserved in Spain and the "Casa Lis", beautiful building of modernist metallic architecture of 19th century that includes the Art Nouveau and Art Deco Museum , having itself turned the most visited museum in the region.
Literary Statues
We began the memory of literary icons with the loving Calixto and Melibea Garden and the Celestine statue, essential literary personage in Spain. Little rascal Lazarillo de Tormes is placed in a monument next to the Roman Bridge. Cervantes wrote "Salamanca that charm the will to return to her to all those whom of the calmness of its house they have pleased" and that phrase can be read nowadays in Plaza Anaya. We continue with holy wise people, like the professor and Fray poet Luis of Leon, whose statue is in the University plaza, or Santa Teresa of Avila, in the plaza that takes its name, or Vitoria jurist, father of the international law, in front of the convent of San Esteban where he lived. Also Cristopher Columbus lived there and there is another statue. And we finished with some of the more insigned Spanish writers like Nebrija, the creator of the Spanish grammar, next to the Church of San Marcos and Miguel de Unamuno, the great writer and philosopher, whose bust was erected fulfilling his desire next to Ursulas convent.
