The Renaissance Route a Historical Look Through the 16Th-Century

The Renaissance Route A historical look through the 16th-century San Clemente Town hall When speaking of the Renaissance in the province of Cuenca, the first thing to note is that it a late start compared to the European movement, as the first proof was recorded in the sixteenth century. It is a commonly viewed as pagan by a society attached to the Christian world and anchored in Gothic and Moorish forms. Still, the province of Cuenca maintains Renaissance heritage as we will see. Our trip can begin in the town of Buendía, which still has a very pretty centre. The Plaza Mayor stands out as it houses buildings such as the Asuncion church with Renaissance traces and the Town Hall with its clock tower. It is an arcaded square with arches supported by square pillars. It is undoubtedly one of the best squares in the province of Cuenca, in a village with the remains of what was once its castle and defensive wall from the fifteenth century. Jesús y María convent, Huete On arriving at the monumental city of Huete, we must not miss the opportunity to see the convent of Jesus and Mary (1557-1576). The building is built around a square two-storey cloister with pillar arches and where we can see the only triangular bell tower in the province of Cuenca. We cannot ignore the sculpture of the main doorway by specialists such as Berruguete, Vandelvira and Jamete. It consists of a semi-circular arch between Ionic columns, with a tympanum where a splendid relief of the Adoration of the Shepherds. From Alcarria to La Mancha, we can enjoy the so called “Escorial de La Mancha”. This is the Uclés Monastery, headquarters of the Order of Santiago and one of the most beautiful and impressive buildings in Spain with an incomparable artistic and historical value in its interior. Pedro García de Almaguer began the work and the final project involved such big names as Francisco de Mora in the church, Pedro de Tolosa and Pedro de Ribera on the façade which has an enviable purity of styles, as it is Plateresque on its eastern wing (built Santiago Church, San Clemente between 1530 and 1550) and Herrerian in the 17th century western wing. The monastery is square and structured around a central courtyard with the church to the north. The cloister will impress you with its two galleries filled with semi-circular arches, 36 windows on its upper part and very simple decor. Its main attraction is an authentic churrigueresque stone altarpiece which is richly decorated, opening onto an intermediate balcony and various sculptures decorated with Jacobean motifs and the Apostle Santiago. An essential element is the coffered wooden ceiling of the refectory with hexagonal panels featuring the 36 busts of the knights of the Order surrounding Charles V in the centre. The church was completed in the sixteenth century, is 65 metres long and 12 wide, and overwhelms the visitor with its rich ornamentation. People such as writer Jorge Manrique and Doña Urraca and buried here and legend says Quevedo was also here. It was also a long-term residence forIsabel the Catholic and Philip II. Interestingly, films such as “Captain Alatriste”, “The Dumbfounded King” were shot here as well as the current TV series “Aguila Roja.” Uclés Monastery courtyard In the town of Tarancón, in the main altar of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion, there is spectacular wooden sixteenth century altarpiece by Pedro de Villadiego with the help of Diego de Tiedra. It is fifty feet high with wooden panelling filled with very detai- led sculptures with scenes of The Baptism, the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Shepherds. It has recently been restored, highlighting the splendidness of these scenes. To end this Renaissance route, you must visit the town of San Clemente. Its Old Town Hall is one of the best examples of Renaissance civil architecture by the famous Master Mason Andrew Vandelvira. Constructively, the main facade has two bodies; the lower one is portico with seven arches on Doric columns, while the second is separated by a triglyph frieze, the second body with many other arcades. The upper is topped by a large royal shield in the centre. It has a five storey tower, topped with a turret and a clock. On the opposite side of the tower there is an arch crossing the street attached to the building. In the same main Uclés Monastery courtyard square of the village, there is the Church of Santiago Apostol, a beautiful Renaissance church with gothic influences, fully restored around 1520 by Andrew Vandelvira. Outside stands the tower with a spiral staircase, and the doorways: the northern one maintains a large triumphal arch, a flat door entrance and a triangular pediment.The southern door is the most interesting because it consists of a triumphal arch, a portico with a straight and flared bow and a pointed arch over it. Inside it is essential to see the three naves of equal height, with pointed arches mixed with barrel, coffered and starry vaults. Buendía main square .

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