Romanos, Visigodos y castillos en Cuenca
The province of Cuenca was important during the Roman domination, with several very significant centers. Of special interest is Segóbriga, a Celtiberian, Roman city and later an important bishopric in the times of the Visigothic monarchy. It was also the center of military operations in the times of the Reconquest, to the point that after the conquest of Cuenca and its surroundings, Alfonso VIII prepared in the castle of Alarcón the campaign that ended in the Battle of the Navas de Tolosa, which gave a fundamental turn to the History of Spain.
On this trip we propose to visit with a total route of only 132 kms, the first day the castle-monastery of Uclés, the well-preserved remains of the Roman city of Segóbriga and know the importance that the Episcopal Basilica of Cabeza de Griego should have, On the outskirts of the Roman city, On the second day we propose to visit two exceptional castles, one of Arab origin, Alarcón, and another Renaissance one, Belmonte.
Views: 3
Mapa del viaje
Guía del viaje
Día 1
The convent castle of Uclés stands on an elongated hill in the highest area of ??the town. It has its origin in the Islamic citadel, since it is known that Alfonso VIII gave the Order of Santiago “villa and castle” in 1174, on which they built a fortress in the 15th century; it consisted of Patio de Armas, four, drawbridge next to the corresponding warehouses, warehouses and rooms. Most of the building is today under the current Monastery built in the sixteenth century. Today stand the so-called Torre Albarrana, Torre Palomar and part of remains of canvases that would close the castle to the south.
The archaeological park of Segóbriga is an important Celtiberian and Roman site located around the hill called the Cabeza de Griego hill. For a long time it was doubted about the location of the city of which Estrabón, Plinio and other Roman authors speak, that the last studies place definitely in this place. Elevated to Roman municipality in the year 12 BC, it conserves in good condition an important set of monuments built in its period of greatest apogee in the 1st century AD: walls, amphitheater, theater, thermal baths, basilicas, .. Very close the remains of the Visigoth basilica of the Greek Head.
Remains of the largest Visigothic church ever known have been found in the ruins of the Roman city of Segóbriga It was of basilical type with an elongated pseudo crossing with the shape of “tau”. It was dismantled during the restoration of the Monastey of Uclés and only the studies of the excavation in the 18th century and a few remnants of the decoration have survived.
Día 2
Fortress-palace Renaissance built by Juan Pacheco, first Marquis of Villena and restored in the S. XIX by Eugenia de Montijo, in recent years has been rehabilitated and open to the public. Formed by two enclosures, the interior in the form of a star is formed by two bodies formed a triangle with the homage tower in front and six other cylindrical towers, all closed in the form of a star by a wall. The outer enclosure is an artillery barrier with three doors and a hundred shooting points. Inside you can see beautiful coffered ceilings, period furniture, an audiovisual and a guided tour.
Arab castle in an area where there are vestiges of Iberian and Roman constructions, conquered in 1184 by Alfonso VIII, who prepared from there in 1211 the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. It is a great fortress built in masonry with ashlars in the corners on a high promontory, which is formed by three defensive enclosures, with a large rectangular tower, two large buildings and two other towers that defend the access door. At present it is a National Parador.