Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Alarcos

The Sanctuary of Nuestra Seora de Alarcos is a Gothic-style hermitage in Alarcos (province of Ciudad Real, Spain) that was designated as a Cultural Asset in 1980.

It has a basilica floor plan and is Gothic in style, with a large tracery rose window above the door. This sanctuary is dedicated to the Virgin of Alarcos, a pilgrimage to which takes place on Whit Monday.

The Battle of Alarcos took place on July 18, 1195, at the foot of the hill where the hermitage is located, pitting the troops of Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur against those of Castilian King Alfonso VIII, who was defeated and facilitated his Muslim occupation for seventeen years. The territory was reconquered thanks to the battle of Navas de Tolosa on 16 July 1212, and a period of growth began for Ciudad Real (formerly known as "Villa Real"), leading to the construction of the sanctuary building between the 13th and 14th centuries.

Located on the left bank of the Guadiana River, 10 kilometres from Ciudad Real, at the northeast end of the hill that forms the Alarcos Archaeological Park. It is currently accessible through an opening in the mediaeval wall of Alfonso VIII of Castile's ancient castle.

Surprisingly, it is only 100 metres away from the Iberian Sanctuary of Alarcos, despite the fact that there is no evidence of continuous occupation on the top of the hill during the Roman period, leading us to believe that its location is based on a possible sacred tradition of the place.

The structure has three naves and a Latin cross plan, and it was designed with Catholic symbolism in mind, as the number "3" represents the Holy Trinity. Ten octagonal limestone pillars support eight pointed arches that separate the naves. The Romanesque style is preserved in the apse chapel.

The main façade, which faces southwest, is notable for its large tracery rose window, which is set within a square frame formed by nineteen carved stone lobes. It was replicated for the Ciudad Real Cathedral's rose window.

The southeast façade has a porch supported by eight stone columns that extends to the church's roof, which has a simple coffered ceiling and a tile roof. It was originally designed in the Mudejar style, with painted alfarjes.

Article obtained from Wikipedia article Wikipedia in his version of 20/10/2022, by various authors under the license Licencia de Documentación Libre GNU.

Comentarios

Aún no hay comentarios.

Deja tu comentario

Al enviar tu comentario, aceptas que se publique el nick y el mensaje. No se almacenan datos personales identificables.

Para mantener un entorno respetuoso, todos los comentarios son moderados antes de su publicación.