We slept in until 9:30 am, but made it to the (included) buffet breakfast at the Hotel Astvr Plaza (it closed at 10:30).
9:46 AM – Astorga: Hotel Astvr Plaza breakfast room with MT at our table.
On the way to MT’s hair appointment, we saw a bit of the city around the Cathedral and the Palacio Episcopal, to which we would come back later.
11:01 AM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María and Palacio Episcopal.
At 11:45 we went to Arcos Peliquería. Silvia told us she had invited us on Facebook to have dinner with her family that night (her husband had suggested it). We hadn’t seen it on Facebook, but accepted for around 8 pm, after the 7 pm mass. (We had originally planned to eat the local specialty Cocido Maragato that evening, since we had seen many restaurants in the city advertising they had it, but hopefully we could do that later on in Maragato country.)
Silvia said for Don to come back at 1 pm. So Don went around the Cathedral and then around the Parque de “El Melgar” park down below the city wall behind the Cathedral and the Palacio Episcopal.
A Roman wall surrounded the old town of Asturica Augusta (Astorga). The first defensive wall, built in 15BC corresponded to the borders of the camp of Legio X Gemina. Not only was it constructed of perishable wood and adobe mud materials, but it also stood on the edge of the hill, which would be occupied by the first stone wall; so it was demolished in around 15 BC. Between then and 75 AD, the first stone wall was built when the settlement ceased to be merely a military camp, becoming the first city wall of the urban nucleus. Very little of that wall remains. Finally, the third wall was built in the late 3rd or 4th century; this last wall built by the Romans is what is visible today, although numerous renovations and restorations were made in medieval times. It is 2.2 km long, ranging between 4 and 5 m thick, and surrounds the hill on which the old town sits. The wall remained intact until the 19th century, largely because the city had not exceeded the walled enclosure. In 1808, during the War of Independence, both French and Spanish troops caused major damage in efforts to prevent Astorga from becoming a stronghold. The best preserved section, on the northeast, stretches about 300 m long, above the Parque de “El Melgar.” The southwest section holds another part at its top, called Jardín de la Sinagoga (Garden of the Synagogue).
11:38 AM – Astorga: Aljibe medieval (center), with bar Churrería Chocolatería “El Aljibe” (right foreground); N side of Cathedral in background.
Behind the cathedral are the Puerta Romana (Roman Gate) and a well-preserved stretch of the original Roman walls. Behind and below the Cathedral is El Aljibe Medieval (The Medieval Cistern). Under the walls, a vaulted tank stored and distributed the water of the medieval city. Its origin seems have been already in the time of Roman city planning in the 1st century BC, but the currently preserved architecture is dated in the later centuries.
A Churrería is a shop selling churros. A churro is a fried-dough pastry popular in Spain. In Spain, churros are still a very popular, traditional breakfast, snack, or dessert. They were developed centuries ago by Spanish shepherds. Up high in the mountains, fresh baked goods were impossible to come by; so the indigenous, nomadic folk of the hills came up with a delicious cake-like, cylindrical daily staple that they could easily cook in a pan over an open fire. Originally, churros were about the size of a breadstick, and they were eaten plain or rolled in cinnamon sugar. They are typically eaten with a chocolate beverage.
Churros with hot chocolate (en.wiktionary.org , commons.wikimedia.org).
12:04 PM – Astorga: rear of Cathedral and Aljibe medieval (center), with bar Churrería Chocolatería “El Aljibe” (right foreground).
12:04 PM – Astorga: Aljibe medieval (now a museum).
Across the street (northeast) from the Aljibe, was a chocolate merchant with a store labeled La Casa del Buen Chocolate (The House of Good Chocolate). Signs indicated they also had exquisite mantecadas pastries. A sign on the door indicated free samples, but most things were in boxes or barrels, and the old man running the place was quite strange (he went into a panic when Don asked if he could take pictures).
12:06 PM – Astorga: La Casa del Buen Chocolate.
Astorga is the European birthplace of chocolate. In 1528, the explorer Hernán Cortés brought Mexican cacao beans to Spain. The Marquisate of Astorga, the Diocese, and the Maratago muleteers made Astorga a pioneer in the elaboration of chocolate from the 17th century. In 1919, there were 49 chocolate manufacturers in the town.
Don continued around the old city wall, with the Puerta Romana.
12:08 PM – Astorga: city wall behind Palacio Episcopal (S of Cathedral) with one side of the Puerta Romana (at right).
Also in the old wall immediately behind the Cathedral was the Puerta Romana (Roman Gate). The Emperor Augustus ordered the construction of the walls with five gateways. With the decline of the Roman Empire came the decline of the city during the 3rd and 4th centuries, and by the year 456 the Goths had destroyed most of the first wall. In 460, St. Toribio began its reconstruction. Part of it remains, but invasions and destructions of the city have made the walls we see of later dates, especially the 10th century, when the city was repopulated after driving out the Moors. Only in the Puerta Romana can you see the original structure and one of the entrances to Asturica Augustus.
Later, Don came back to the Puerta Romana with MT:
5:28 PM Astorga: sign for “La Puerta Romana” [The Roman Gate] with a drawing; the Spanish text [translated] says: The wall that we now see was constructed in the early 4th century AD, primarily for defensive purposes. The Puerta Romana, contemporaneous with the said fortification, is the only entrance that has been preserved. The opening in the wall is some four meters wide and was flanked by two towers or bastions of semicircular form.
5:28 PM – Astorga: MT (reading that sign), between the preserved left side of the Puerta Romana and the apse of the Cathedral.
5:30 PM – Astorga: Puerta Romana (showing thickness of wall) and Roman Wall toward Palacio Episcopal.
Back in his first visit to this area, Don followed the Parque de “El Melgar” park below the city wall to the south from the Puerta Romana as far as the Casa Granell and Puerta del Rey.
12:09 PM – Astorga: Parque de El Melgar – city wall and back side of Palacio Episcopal.
12:10 PM – Astorga: Parque de El Melgar - city wall with back sides of Palacio Episcopal and Cathedral (wider angle, from farther south).
12:13 PM – Astorga: Parque de El Melgar – farther S on city wall with Palacio Episcopal (right).
12:14 PM – Astorga: Parque de El Melgar – city wall and Palacio Episcopal, with Cathedral tower and apse in background (telephoto, 64 mm).
At the end of the park, located just outside the Roman wall, was the Casa Granell.
12:16 PM – Astorga: Casa Granell (side view ).
Casa Granell, built in modernist style in 1910-1915, commissioned by Heriberto Granell [not in the 2nd half of the 19th century, by Astorgan chocolatier José Granell (as reported by several Internet sources)]. Heriberto Granell was the son of José Granell and belonged to the second generation of the wealthy family of chocolatiers and makers of mantecadas. The house’s construction is reminiscent, relatively speaking, of Gaudi’s Episcopal Palace, with its slender tower and beautiful stained glass. It is to the side of the Puerta del Rey at the end of Calle Enfermeras Mártires de Somiedo [Street of Martyr Nurses of Somiedo, named for three nurses from Astorga serving in a hospital for Franco’s rebel army in the Spanish Civil War, who were captured, raped, and executed by Republican forces.]
12:17 PM – Astorga: Casa Granell from corner.
Turning the corner at Casa Granell, Don re-entered the old city through Puerta del Rey [King’s Gate], although the gate is no monger visible. On a wall in Calle Marcelo Macias, near the Casa Granell, is a plaque commemorating the Clavijo Battalion.
12:19 PM – Astorga: old wall on street inside of old city gate Puerta del Rey; war memorial with bronze relief of soldiers marching and plaque in Spanish [translated]: Astorga to the Clavijo Battalion that fought with glory in the Battle of Medina de Rioseco 1808-2008.
The Clavijo Battalion (Third Volunteers of the Provincial Regiment of León, known as “Batallón Clavijo”) consisted of 600 men forcibly recruited, mostly from Astorga and the surrounding Maragatería region. The battalion was formed of rural peasants, students, servants, and craftsmen, commanded by a few veteran soldiers and noncommissioned militia. The soldiers were distinguished from civilians by using simple rosettes and red ribbons. The battalion’s leaders knew about the medieval banner of Osorio, who according to legend had led Astorgan troops in the 9th-century victory over the Moors at Clavijo (the banner held was in the City Hall of Astorga), and requested to use it as the flag of the battalion. The battalion was integrated into the Army of Castile in the early days of the War of Independence and fought against Napoleon’s forces in the disastrous Battle of Medina de Rioseco in 1808. The inexperienced Spanish troops suffered a severe setback in their first major battle. However, the battalion fought with great courage defending the retreat of the Army of Castile, saving its artillery, and the banner that had been entrusted to them by the City Council of Astorga.
After making a brief stop at Hotel Astvr Plaza Spa, to use the baño in our room, Don headed back toward Arcos Peluquería.
12:40 PM – Astorga: “El Arriero Maragato” [The Maragato Muleteer] store with mantecadas (and hojaldres) between Plaza Mayor and Palacio Episcopal.
Then Don again came to the Palacio Episcopal.
12:46 PM – Astorga: Plaza Ingeniero Eduardo de Castro with Cathedral, Iglesia Santa Marta, Iglesia San Esteban, and Palacio Episcopal.
Just to the south of the Cathedral and Iglesia Santa Marta is the sensational building known as the Palacio Episcopal (Bishop’s Palace aka Palacio de Gaudi). Despite its name, was never home to any bishops. After the previous residence of the bishop, dating to the 11th century, was destroyed by fire in 1886, Bishop Grau of Astorga (of Catalan origin) engaged the Catalan modernist architect Antoni Gaudi to build a new one. In 1887, Gaudi submitted plans for a neo-Gothic building. He was an admirer of the Middle Ages and its architecture and integrated elements of historicism with innovative concepts that led to Catalan Modernism. His design for the palace showed heavy influences from the León Cathedral.
Construction began in 1889, but after the death of that bishop in 1893, Gaudi resigned and work stopped in 1913, with only the first two floors completed. A new architect was assigned and work continued until he also resigned in 1915, again leaving the building exposed to the elements, unfinished inside, and uninhabitable.
During the Spanish Civil War, it served as barracks and headquarters of General Franco’s Falange party, during which time there was considerable damage, especially to the windows. In both 1943 and 1956 the building underwent various repairs with the intention of turning it into a residence of the bishop, although this feature was never consummated. Work did not resume until 1956 and was completed in 1961. In 1963, it was converted into the Museo de los Caminos with historical notes and artifacts on the many Roman roads that converged on this city and provided the main trade, military, and pilgrim routes through northern Spain. Among other things, it contains the original Cruz de Ferro that once stood atop Monte Irago. (However, the museum was closed on Thursdays.)
The palace has the features of a castle, stately mansion and Gothic church, with its impressive exterior constructed with white granite stone from el Bierzo. Constructed in a neo-Gothic style, with soaring turrets and contains a series of elements with apparent military function, such as battlements, towers, and a moat. (The moat serves as protection, but also allows ventilation and natural lighting for the basement.) It also has viewpoints and terraces.
The building is oriented from southeast to the northeast and is surrounded by a moat and railings in stone and iron. The body of the building is flanked by four towers, one in each one of the corners—one of them of a greater diameter than the other three. The larger tower houses the main spiral staircase that connects all the floors and is topped by a weathervane with the figure of a rooster.
The building, with an internal disposition in the form of a Greek cross, has four floors: the cellar (in Mudéjar style); ground floor; main floor (planta noble [noble floor])—where there is the impressive chapel (like a miniature cathedral, with a triple apse with windows, flying buttresses, gargoyles outside and the interior adorned with stained-glass windows, paintings and religious objects that reinforce the magnificence of the ensemble), the throne room, the office of the bishop, the dining room, all it organized around the central piece or lobby; and the top floor or attic.
Outside, the portico with its three giant flared arches (arcos de huevos [egg arches]) constitutes one of the most spectacular architectonic elements of Gaudí. However, this created serious problems during its construction, and had to be reconstructed three times (the third time, Gaudi had to come and help the workers with his own hands). The windows are of Gothic style, and those of two of the towers display Bishop Grau’s coat of arms. The gable roof, in the form of a Greek cross, is made of slate and is bordered by a granite balustrade.
12:46 PM – Astorga: Palacio Episcopal (from SW).
12:48 PM – Astorga: Palacio Episcopal – entrance to “Palacio de Gaudi – Museo de los caminos” (closed).
The Plaza Ingeniero Eduardo de Castro is in front of the Palacio Episcopal. (Brierley and some other sources misidentify this square as Plaza Catedral, but the Plaza de la Catedral is in front of the cathedral.) In the Plaza Ingeniero Eduardo de Castro is a modern sculpture commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Junta Profomento Semana Santa Astorga (1908-2008)
12:48 PM – Astorga: modern sculpture in front of Palacio Episcopal with hooded figures carrying a banner that says: “1908-2008 Junta Profomento Semana Santa Astorga”).
The celebration of Easter with processions in Astorga dates back to at least the 15th century, supported by two brotherhoods (confradias) under the tutelage of the Franciscan and Benedictine monasteries, and thrived through the 18th century. In the early 19th century, however, much of the tradition, with its images and documents, was lost, primarily due to disasters of the War of Independence. In 1908, at the suggestion of the Bishop of Astorga, the Junto Profomento de Semana Santa (Permanent Commission for the Promotion of Easter in Astorga) was founded for the revival, reorganization, enhancement, and promotion of Easter and its processions [although sometimes translated as Easter, Santa Semana actually means Holy Week, and the processions start on Palm Sunday]. During the 20th century, after the Spanish Civil War, new impetus was given with the emergence of new confradias (brotherhoods), for a total of seven, plus one hermanedad (sorority) made up exclusively of women. The Commission oversees all eight of these groups that participate in the processions. Members of each group have robes of a particular color and wear an executioner’s hood.
Astorga: Palm Sunday procession (es.wikipedia.org).
On the north side of the Plaza Ingeniero Eduardo de Castro are three churches. Immediately south of the Cathedral de Santa María is the much smaller Iglesia Santa Marta, and to the south of that is the even smaller (lower and much shorter) Iglesia San Esteban.
12:47 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María with Iglesia Santa Marta and Iglesia San Esteban in foreground and Palacio Episcopal at right (modern sculpture of Junto Profomento de Semana Santa in center foreground).
The Iglesia de San Esteban (Church of St. Stephen) is a simple structure with a single nave, built in 1304. It was very reformed in the 17th century, especially in the apse. The chapel was originally connected to a pilgrim hospital that was founded in the 2nd half of the 11th century and collapsed in the late 17th century. The tower is from the original building. So is the portico at the foot of the building. The neo-classical façade is from 1787.
12:49 PM – Astorga: Iglesia de Santa Marta façade and belfry with “porch” behind it (left) and Iglesia San Esteban façade and S side (right).
11:57 AM – Astorga: Iglesia de Santa Marta and Iglesia San Esteban façades with Celda de las Emparedadas between them.
Between the façades of Iglesia San Esteban and Iglesia Santa Marta is the Celda de las Emparedadas.
11:57 AM – Astorga: Iglesia de Santa Marta and Iglesia San Esteban façades with Celda de las Emparedadas between them (see red rectangle).
The famous Celda de las Emparedadas (Cell of the Walled), an irregular space with a window open to the street of the Camino route, is a rare testimony to the medieval custom of urban hermits (in this case, women) being walled up for life in a small cell. The cell could be constructed next to a church or cemetery, in hospitals and monasteries, in bridges or city walls, in the middle of a city or in its suburbs. On many occasions, it had a small window open to a church and another to the street. In the Middle Ages, more women than men chose this voluntary confinement, which presented almost a luxury compared to life in a cloister. The confinement began with a farewell to the world, a liturgical ceremony with the Office of the Dead, and entry into the cell whose door was then walled up. (Brierley describes this as a “cell which housed the city hookers,” and www.artehistoria.com says [translated]: “This cell was used to lock up those women of bad morals.” However, most other sources say the women were locked there by their own choice and remained there until death, devoted to prayer and penitence.)
In the case of this cell in Astorga, outside contact was reduced to a narrow, barred window overlooking the street. Pilgrims passing through Astorga, on their way to the Cathedral, established a relationship with them and gave them food through that window. The Latin inscription above the window says: “MEMOR ESTO JUDITII MEI, SIC ENIM ERIT ET TUUM. MIHI HERI, ET TIBI HODIE EX ECCLESIASTES,” [which translates: Remember my condition because this will be yours. I yesterday, you today. From Ecclesiastes]. Another window connecting to the chapel of Iglesia Santa Marta (to the sanctuary, when the old church that existed before the 18th century was reversed from today), allowed the women to observe the sacred offices and mass.
12:50 PM (Cropped) – Astorga: Celda de las Emparedadas (close-up).
Next to the cathedral on the south is the much smaller Iglesia de Santa Marta.
The Iglesia de Santa Marta was built between 1738 and 1741. It is dedicated to the patroness of Astorga, a 3rd-century Christian martyr who was a native of the city; according to tradition, it is built on the site of the saint’s house. She was the loving teacher of San Justo and San Pastor, sons of her brother San Vidal. An image of Santa Marta is in a niche in the pediment above the main door. The present Baroque church with three naves was proceeded by at least two others, one of them pre-Romanesque from the 7th to 10th century, making it the oldest church in Astorga; traces of that smaller church can be seen in the pavement next to the current apse; later there was a Romanesque church with the apse in the area of the current entrance. The present granite belfry was built in 1896 to replace the ruined original. A door on the north side leads to the fenced courtyard of the Cathedral. Its proximity to the Cathedral made this church the “hijuela del Cabildo” (little sister of the Cathedral Chapter), i.e., it was the parish of the Cathedral and up to the 19th century the parish priest had the title of Rector and was a Canon of the Cathedral.
12:51 PM – Astorga: Iglesia de Santa Marta – façade and belfry (from front).
12:00 PM – Astorga: Iglesia de Santa Marta – N side and back of belfry with “porch” (view from courtyard on S side of Cathedral).
11:54 AM – Astorga: SW bell tower and S side of Cathedral, and front of Iglesia de Santa Marta.
Next to Iglesia de Santa Marta is the Catedral de Santa María. We did not visit the inside of the cathedral because we were not there at the right times.
The Cathedral’s own website says it is open 9-11 am Monday through Saturday and 11 am-1 pm Sundays and religious holidays. However, other sources, including www.turismoastorga.com, say the church is open Monday through Saturday 9-10:30 am and Sundays and holidays 11 am-1 pm; at other hours, it can be entered through the Museo Catedralico (the museum’s hours are 10 and 2 pm and 4 pm-8 pm [or 6 pm Oct-Apr]; it is closed all day Monday and on Sunday afternoons).
However, we did see the outside several times.
The Catedral de Santa María (Cathedral of St. Mary) is a wonderful blend of late Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical styles; its interior structure is primarily Gothic. The orientation of the building is unusual because it has its apse to the northeast, as were its two Romanesque predecessors, rather than the normal orientation to the east. It is built over the lost Romanesque cathedral consecrated in 1069 and a second late-Romanesque structure started in the 12th century and completed in the 13th century. It took its present form in the 15th century; construction began in 1471 but retained some parts of the Romanesque cathedral. The building of the present cathedral began with the apse (1471), which many consider as Spanish florid Gothic. The original late Gothic style led into the Baroque style (façade, main portal, and towers), and incorporates some Renaissance elements, since the building was not completed until 1704. Its twin square towers, the pinkish bell tower (dated 1692, but not completed until 1704) and an older tower (dated 1678) that was affected by an earthquake in 1775 but not restored until 1965, are the building’s most characteristic features from outside, together with the red hue of the stone. The main façade was begun in the late 17th century in the churrigueresco (Spanish Baroque) style with three doors.
1:41 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – façade and towers (from right front).
The main (west) façade marked the triumph of León Baroque. Finished in 1704, it resembles a great stone Baroque altarpiece. It is articulated in imitation of the Gothic western façade of the cathedral of León with three richly carved portals and flanked by two towers, which are joined to the central body by elegant flying buttresses and balconcillos carved with care. The two towers offer different shades from green to pink. The facade is topped with turrets and pinnacles, as in León, but adapted to the Baroque style. In the central niche of the façade is an image of the Assumption. On the pediment just above that niche is an image of Santiago.
12:52 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – façade (focus on central body over main door).
Of the three doors on the west façade, the central portico occupies a much larger space. The arch is framed by columns, and under it is a vault with carved scenes from the Gospel: Purification of the temple; parable of the adulterous woman; cures of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath; cure of the blind man at Bethesda, who is dressed as a pilgrim in reference to the Camino de Santiago; descent from the cross with allegories of Innocence and Mercy.
12:53 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – main (west) door.
12:54 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – main (west) door – scene on vault above door: Cure of Blind Man dressed as pilgrim (left); Descent from the cross (center), cure of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath (right).
12:53 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – main (west) door – scene on vault above door: Cure of Blind Man dressed as pilgrim (left).
12:53 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – main (west) door – scene on vault above door: cure of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath (right).
12:53 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – scene on panel to left of main (west) door: Cleansing of the Temple.
12:54 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – scene on panel to right of main (west) door: Parable of the adulterous woman.
11:54 AM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – W façade, SW bell tower (pink), and S side (from SW).
On the south façade is a Renaissance portal from 1551. The door is flanked by columns with Plateresque capitals, and its pediment has two medallions representing the Apostles Peter and Paul. Above the door is a semicircular alcove containing the Virgin of the Assumption crowned by angels. In the tympanum above that if an effigy of God the Father blessing with his right hand while holding the sphere of the world in his left. The inscription below Him says: “ASSVPTA EST MARIA I CELVM: CA” [Mary Is Assumed into Heaven: CA].
11:59 AM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – door on S side.
12:00 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María - wood-carved bishops on S door (taken at angle to show projecting arms and hands).
The apse (1471), which many consider as Spanish florid Gothic, has fine pinnacles and simple buttresses. It is topped by a statue of a man in Maragato costume.
12:01 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – S tower and S side all the way to the back (statue at top of apse).
11:55 AM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María – statue at top of apse (telephoto, 307 mm, from S side of church).
Atop the apse is a statue, in Maragato costume, that serves as a weather vane and lightning rod. Some say this represents Pedro Mato, who fought in the Battle of Clavijo (the Astorga City Hall houses one of the flags from that battle). Another common belief is that the statue is of the Maragato Pedro Mato (aka Peromato), a Maragatgo muleteer who supplied wine, oil, and other food to the people of Astorga while the city was besieged by French troops during the Spanish War of Independence (1808-14). Other references mention this weather vane dating from the 18th century. According to legend, Napoleonic troops fired on the statue, thinking it was a lookout, but missed it. Other sources say Pedro Mato was a wealthy Maragato of unknown significance. At any rate, this statue has become one of the symbols of the city.
12:02 PM – Astorga: Catedral de Santa María - statue at top of apse (more telephoto, 360 mm, from rear of church).
After MT was finished at Acros Peluqueria, we both looked around the rest of the city. (Sometime during the day, we got sellos at Bar Las Vegas.) We found stores that sold the mantecadas and hojaldres pastries we had discovered in the breakfast buffet at our hotel.
1:58 PM – Astorga: store window with Mantecadas and Hojaldres de Astorga.
Mantecadas are a type of spongy pastry similar to a muffin, but flatter. They taste very much like pound cake. The most famous mantecadas are the ones prepared in Astorga under the name Mantecadas de Astorga. Popular legend has it that they were first developed in the 19th century in the Convento de Sancti Spiritus in Astorga and then a nun left the congregation and marketed them. However, there is a recipe from 1805 by two men who were the master confectioners of the Seminario Astorgano. Their ingredients are eggs, flour, cow fat, sugar, and a little cinnamon. They may have a covering of melted sugar. Since they are baked in paper cups, mantecadas are sometimes translated as cupcakes, other times as shortbread.
Hojaldres (puff pastries) are a crisp pastry brought to Europe by the Arabs, although their origin is much older and can be found in references to flaky pastries in ancient Greece and Rome. They are made with flour, fat (butter, lard, or margarine), water, and salt. The sweet Hojaldres de Astorga appeared in the early 1960s as a fruit of the boom of the mantecadas industry in the city. To the above ingredients they also add honey; they have a juicy texture because of a sticky syrup bath with which they are covered. The syrup is made by boiling a mixture of sugar, water, apple jelly, and honey. They have a circular hole partway through the center and are usually packaged in plastic trays. They are also known as hojaldres de miel (of honey) or mielitos. Currently, production of Hojaldres de Astorga, made exclusively in Astorga, exceeds that of the famous mantecadas, which seems to have stalled.
1:58 PM (Cropped) – Astorga: boxes of Hojaldres de Astorga (top) and Mantecadas (bottom) in store window.
1:58 PM – Astorga: close-up of box of Mantecadas, with Maragato man and woman.
In Plaza Santoclides (between Plaza Mayor and Silvia’s house), a store had a giant mochila (backpack) displayed outside.
2:07 PM – Astorga: MT with large mochila (backpack) in Plaza Santoclides.
2:09 PM – Astorga: Don with large mochila (backpack) in Plaza Santoclides.
In the same square, there was a large fountain and the Monumento a los Sitios (Monument of the Sieges).
5:46 PM– Astorga: MT at fountain by Monumento a los Sitios in Plaza Santoclides.
The Monumento a los Sitios (Monument of the Sieges) is in memory of the two sieges of Astorga, in March-April 1810 and June-August 1812 during the Peninsular War, in which forces loyal to the Spanish Bourbon dynasty fought the occupying armies of Napoleon.
During the first attempts of French occupation, Colonel Jose María Santoclides was appointed garrison commander and military governor of Astorga. He ordered reinforcement of the fortifications, raising a bulwark in front of each of the city gates, and organized the population into those who could serve in the military and those who would work on fortification and hospital services. In the winter between 1809 and 1810, the Astorgans continued to accumulate food and rehabilitate infrastructure. In February 1810, the French deployed 10,000 men against Astorga; they also tried to intimidate the garrison in writing, but that failed, and they retired. However, when the French began the siege in March, Santoclides was aware that Astorga could not get help from Galicia or Asturias and would have to defend itself on its own. The result of the first siege was that the French occupied the city off-and-on for more than two years, during which Astorga became the base of troops operating against Asturias and Galicia. However, the conquest was a costly victory, since the local people offered stiff resistance and managed to immobilize an army corps.
Santoclides, who had been taken prisoner after the fall of Astorga, escaped from Mâcon (France) and returned to Spain in early 1811 to participate in Spanish victories that expelled the French from Galicia and Asturias. In Astorga, the French used explosives to reduce the effectiveness of its fortifications for their new Spanish occupiers, and then evacuated the city on June 19, 1811. Two days later, Santoclides re-entered the city. While Santoclides had taken the offensive, other Spanish leaders decided to give priority to reorganizing the troops of the rear; so fighting forces were weakened. French troops took advantage of this. The Astorga garrison had to leave the city, which was occupied again by the French on July 26.
In June 1812, Santoclides was given command of the 6th Army and began the siege of Astorga, where the French had a garrison of 1,000 men. In July, Santoclides received cannons from La Coruna and the 7th Army joined the 6th at Astorga, making a total of 20,000 men. In August, the French surrendered, and the second siege resulted in Spanish recovery of the city.
In 1910, on the centenary of the first siege, the memorial was erected. It now holds the remains of General Santoclides, who was appointed Chief of Staff of the Spanish Army after the war. On top of the monument is a lion (Spain) killing with its claws an eagle (Napoleon’s French army)/
The Peninsular War (1807-1814) was a military conflict between Napoleon’s empire and the allied forces of Spain, Britain, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula. It overlaps with what the Spanish-speaking world calls the Guerra de la Independencia Español (Spanish War of Independence), which began in 1808 and ended in 1814.
Astorga: Monumento a los Sitios in Plaza Santoclides; portrait of Gen. Santoclides on front side; inscription in Spanish reads: Para recordación perpetua de los heroicos defensores de la ciudad en sus dos memorables sitios por las huestes Napoleonicas MDCCCIX-MDCCCX se erigio este monumento [For the perpetual remembrance of the heroic defenders of the city in its two memorable sieges by the Napoleonic hosts 1809-1810, this monument is erected].
The date of 1809 may relate to earlier times when the French temporarily occupied or tried to occupy Astorga. On December 31, 1808, Napoleon had first come to Astorga, staying in the old Palacio Episcopal. The city was almost deserted, since the people had fled to the mountains. The city was thoroughly looted by his troops in January 1809. On January 16, the French departed, after the British arrived. In June 1809, French troops forced to flee from Galicia passed through Astorga, where the people suffered looting, rape, and murder. After the French departed, the city conducted cleanup and reconstruction and housed various Spanish troops until they moved southward in August. In September and October 1809, the French made several attempts to occupy the city but failed.
The inscription does not include the second major siege in 1812, in which the French were the defenders.
We went back to the south end of the old city, where we had passed Roman ruins on the way into town. In the Plaza Romana, we found the Domus del Mosaico del Oso y los Pájaros.
The Plaza Romana (Roman Square) is surrounded by a conglomeration of interesting places like the Roman Museum (The Ergástula), the Church of St. Bartholomew, the former seminary of the Redemptonist Convent, the Church of San Francisco, and the Chapel of Santa Vera Cruz. In the middle of the square, protected by a polycarbonate cover, are the remains of an ancient Roman house called Domus del Mosaico del Oso y los Pájaros (House of the Mosaics of the Bear and the Birds). Some magnificent mosaics are found inside. This Roman villa probably dates back to the 1st-4th centuries, distributed around a central columned courtyard (peristyle) also containing Roman baths. In it, you can see the primitive sewer of the city and several rooms of the house. Among the most notable are the remains of paintings found in the bottom of one of the rooms. The rooms were paved in different materials, according to their importance: signinum opus (soil mortar mixed with brick fragments) for service areas and bedrooms; opus spicatum (pavement brick on edge in a fishbone pattern) for dining rooms and offices. The most important room was the oecus (reception or guest hall), the floor of which is paved with magnificent mosaic depicting two scenes: an allegory of autumn (vine branches and clusters of grapes bitten by birds) and the myth of Orpheus (consisting of eight medallions with wild animals surrounding Orpheus playing the lyre he received from Apollo). The rooms were decorated with murals with plant motifs. Parallel to the edge of the street, the house had a small thermal complex, heated by a hypocastum (underfloor heating system with hot air from a furnace), for private use.
Thursday, September 11, 2014, 345 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – Main sign for “La Domus del Mosaico del Oso y los Pájaros” with text in Spanish only [English translation: In the immediate vicinity of the forum and one of the sunniest areas of the city are preserved the remains of a house that must have belonged to a family of a certain economic level, as seems to be indicated by the fact that is equipped with a thermal area with a full program of bath rooms. One of the main rooms is paved with a luxurious mosaic decorated with animals and plants.]
3:37 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – N end of ruins (view from N side) – corner of mosaic floor at left; fishbone opus spicatum floor and [baths?]; sewer on right.
3:39 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – fishbone opus spicatum floor and mosaic floor (from S side).
3:39 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – Sign with (Spanish and) English text: “We have one of the most complete domus or private homes found by Archaeology in Asturica, the first vestige preserved as a result of modern excavation.
“The preserved part (approximately a third) of the great house was ordered round a large courtyard with columns. Inhabited between the end of the first century A.D. and the first half of the fourth, it must have belonged to an important family in the city, which would explain why its various renovations and expansions reached even to occupy a public space, a street that went on [top of] a sewer.” The color code at the top right for “Paving of the Domus” shows yellow as “Opus Spicatum” [a type of masonry used in Roman and medieval times, consisting of bricks, tiles, or cut stone laid in a herringbone pattern]; green as “Mosaico” [mosaic]; blue as “Opus Signinum.”
3:42 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – mosaic floor (more close-up).
3:39 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – Other end of same sign shows at the top, according to English text: “Plant [floor plan] of the major domus [Spanish literally says most important house] found so far in Astorga, from left to right: Domus of Big Peristilo [Spanish Domus del Gran Peristilo = room of large peristyle (in a Roman house of high class, a courtyard or gallery surrounded by porticos of columns]; Domus of Denary [Spanish: Domus de los Denarios (in Roman currency, a denarius was a small silver coin, the name derived from the Latin deni ‘containing ten’)]; Domus of Opus signinum [Spanish: Domus del Pavimento de Opus Signinum (opus signinum is a building material used in ancient Rome, made up of tiles or pottery broken into very small pieces, mixed with mortar)].
The bottom part of the sign describes “El Mosaico del Oso y Los Pájaros” (The Mosaic of the Bear and Birds) with English text: “This reception room, or oecus, was conceived in the late second century or in the early third century AD, and paved with the so-called mosaic of the bear and the birds because of the most striking motifs of itself. Made with small limestone tiles (tessera), the mosaic is actually devoted to Orpheus. While outdoor scenes are a representation of the seasons (branches and bunches of grapes crushed by birds), the motifs inside ordered eight medallions of animals (including bears) around the central figure, now lost, of Orpheus, who would gaze [at] them with the strumming of his lyre, a gift from Apollo. This myth has a transcendental meaning, because the lyre is the soul and the animals, the body. Their inclusion in a domestic environment tells us about the spiritual concerns of the owners of the house.”
3:39 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – view (from central walkway toward N) of area shown in sign in preceding photo: sewer (left) and thermal area; at top are fishbone opus spicatum floor and mosaic floor.
3:41 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – Sign for “Las Diversas Estancias” [English text in next photo]; color code at top for “Estancias de la Zona Termal (Rooms in the Thermal Area)” with color code: pink for Tepidarium, blue for Frigidarium.]
3:41 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – Other part of same sign for “La Zona Termal (The Thermal Area)”; English text: “Parallel to the axis of the street the house had a small thermal bath with heated hypocaustum or induction system of air-ground, heated in oven, which circulates in lower chambers under the floor, raised through piles of bricks or arches, intended, in this case, for a private use. It had, as usual, regardless of their different size, rooms equipped with different water temperatures: cold water (frigidarium), warm (tepidarium), hot (caldarium).” This part of the sign also has the English text of Spanish “Las Diversas Estancias (The Different Rooms)” from the preceding photo: “The rooms, more functional that spacious, were paved in different materials and techniques according to their importance, using signinum opus, soil mortar mixed with brick fragments for service areas and bedrooms; opus spicatum or pavement brick on edge provided in the form of fish bones, for catering and offices, and a unique mosaic for the oecus or the reception or guests’ hall.” The cutaway drawing at the bottom of this part of the sign shows various parts of the house.
3:41 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – baths; on lower level to W [the arches were perhaps ovens where water was heated?].
3:41 PM – Astorga: Domus del Mosaico – baths and other parts to S and W.
We then went over to the Plaza San Francisco and the Jardin de la Sinagoga at the southwest corner of the old city.
3:47 PM – Astorga: MT with flowers in Plaza San Francisco (near pilgrim statue).
The Jardín de la Sinagoga was established in 1835 and takes its name from the synagogue of the important Jewish quarter that existed here in the past. There was a synagogue as early as 1073, and a Jewish cemetery from 1092. The part of the old city wall on the south and west sides of the Jardín de la Sinagoga has many of the semicircular towers that were part of the city’s defenses. The wall is 4 m wide and the semicircular towers (cubos) are 8 m in diameter. Eight of the towers are preserved in this southwest corner and another 13 on the northeast side, above the Parque de “El Melgar.”
3:50 PM – Astorga: MT on semicircular tower of city wall at SW corner of Jardin de la Sinagoga, overlooking newer city to W and N.
3:52 PM – Astorga: Don at top of semicircular tower of city wall at SW corner of Jardin de la Sinagoga, overlooking newer city to S.
As we headed from Jardín de la Sinagoga back toward our hotel on Plaza Mayor, we passed the Santuario de Fátima.
3:57 PM – Astorga: Santuario de Fátima – W façade and parish house (MT in foreground).
The Santuario de Fátima (Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima) was formerly Iglesia San Julian. The primitive church of San Julian, built in the late 12th century in the Romanesque style, was remodeled (primarily the interior) during the Baroque (18th century) and restored in the 20th century (when it was renamed). The lower part of the west façade and the parish house on the south wall have been preserved from the Romanesque structure. The façade retains four Romanesque capitals around the main door, with floral motifs, birds, and biblical characters.
5:41 PM – Astorga: modern statue of mother and child.
We happened to pass the Cine Velasco theater, which was hosting the “XVII Festival de Cine ‘Cuidad de Astorga’” September 4-14, 2014, which we had seen advertised in a brochure in our hotel lobby.
4:01 PM – Astorga: Cine Velasco sign for “Ciudad de Astorga” film festival with old photo of Ayuntamiento (City Hall) on Plaza Mayor.
4:30 PM – Astorga: brochure for “Ciudad de Astorga” film festival in our hotel lobby; caption says the photo of Plaza Mayor is from the film “El Bosque del Labe” [1971, about a werewolf in Galicia] by Pedro Olea.
By 6 pm, we were back at Hotel Astvr Plaza in time to see the Maragato figures ring the bell of the clock on the Ayuntamiento (City Hall) in Plaza Mayor.
Friday, September 12, 2014, 8:06 AM – Astorga: Ayuntamiento (City Hall) in Plaza Mayor (taken next morning).
The façade of the Ayuntamiento was built in 1675, but the first documentary evidence of the clock appeared in 1730. It is the work of the 18th-century clockmaker Bartolomé Fernandez. On each side of the bell are two articulated figures of Maragatos: Juan Zacunda and Colasa, in their native costumes. On every hour, the figures move and the hammers in their hands strike the hour on the bell. Two decades ago, the original primitive wooden figures, which were in poor condition, were replaced by aluminum copies.
5:47 PM – Astorga: Maragato bell ringers on City Hall clock (better view of Juan Zancunda).
6:01 PM – Astorga: Maragato bell ringers on City Hall clock (6:00 pm).
6:12 PM – Astorga: Maragato bell ringers on City Hall clock (better view of Colasa).
6:38 PM – Astorga: view from our hotel window across Plaza Major to building under renovation, with a canvas cover showing the designed result (Plaza Santoclides visible through gap in corner).
6:38 PM (Cropped) – Astorga: view from our hotel window of NE corner of Plaza Mayor (with Plaza Santoclides beyond); 2 spray-painted yellow arrows on arcade columns and a blue Camino sign with yellow arrow and shell (see red circles) point pilgrims to exit the square by the NE corner instead of this one; hopefully they are not misled by the yellow arrow on the signboard (see yellow circle) on the other side of the street pointing the way to a chocolate factory.
At 7 pm, we went to Mass at the cloistered Convento de Santi Spiritus, at the far north end of the old city, near the Cathedral. (We had originally planned to go to an 8 pm mass at Iglesia de San Bartolomé, which Silvia had marked on our map, but had to go to this 7 pm Mass instead.)
Astorga: Convento de Sancti Spiritus exterior(commons.wikimedia.org).
The Convento de Sancti Spiritus has roots that date back to the 13th century. From the mid-14th century, it served as housing for hermits until the 15th century, when the Pope allowed Franciscan monks of the Third order to occupy the convent. At one time nuns of the same order occupied part of the convent. The present church dates from the 16th century, and the interior has Baroque decoration. Today it remains a Franciscan convent of nuns.
After the 7 pm Mass, we went the apartment of Silvia’s family, which was not far from our hotel, just on the other side of Plaza Santoclides. Since we were earlier than originally planned, when we first arrived only Silvia’s sister was there, but she already had most of the food on the table. She said she would soon be joining her husband who was in the military stationed in the Spanish part of Africa [Melilla is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa]. When the rest of the family arrived, they added two tortillas (one with onions).
8:27 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – Silvia’s husband at far end of table.
8:27 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – dinner table with 2 tortillas added on left side; empenadas by Don’s plate on near right.
8:30 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – Silvia with platter of chorizo.
8:31 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – Silvia’s daughter on couch.
8:32 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – Silvia’s sister with (large) wine glasses.
8:33 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – Silvia’s son at table; empenada in foreground.
8:35 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – MT and Don at table; Sylvia’s husband pouring Don’s wine.
8:35 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – Sylvia’s husband pouring MT’s wine; daughter in background.
8:36 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – MT and Don with Silvia’s family (her sister took photo).
8:37 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – Don with glass of wine.
9:22 PM – Astorga: Silvia’s family’s home – tarta de manzanas [apple cake] for dessert.
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