My Pictures of Salamanca

I studied Spanish for the months of August and September in the city of Salamanca, Spain.

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The Plaza Mayor, a beautiful arcaded square, with the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) here on the North.
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The Church of Santiago, one of the many Romanesque churches in the city. The statue is of a famous novel written about the adventures of a boy in Salamanca named Lazarus, who has the job of guiding a blind man.
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This is a statue of St. John of the Cross, near the carmelite monastery, but with a different Church in the background here: St. Stephan (Esteban).
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The facade of San Esteban, with fine ornamentation, that almost turns gold in the sunlight.
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The high altar of san Esteban.
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View of the Cathedrals (here mostly seeing the new one).
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The Pontifical University, where I attended class, which was originally built as a Jesuit college. The monumental Church is called the Clerecía, built in 1617.
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Inside the courtyard of the Pontifical University.
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The university tower and Clerecía at night.
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The tower of the new Cathedral, built in the 16th century.
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View of the side of the new Cathedral.
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A comparison: the cupola on the right is that of the roof of the old Cathedral. In the background is the new Cathedral, built alongside the old.
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Detail of the cupola of the old Cathedral
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Inside the Old (12th century) Cathedral.
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The main altar has 53 scenes from the life of Christ, painted in 1455. In the center is a wooden sculpture of the Virgen de la Vega (Virgin of the Old Cathedral), patron of the city of Salamanca celebrated on Sept. 8th.
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Inside the new Cathedral.
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A view of the choir in the main nave of the cathedral.
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The main facade of the Cathedral.
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A view from the Cathedral. In the center of the picture is the Roman Bridge.
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At the end of the Roman Bridge is this "bull", which appears on the towns coat of Arms.
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View of the Cathedral (and note the Clerecía) from the Roman Bridge, which crosses the river Tormes.
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15 of the original, 1st century Roman arches survive today, on this bridge which was part of the "silver route".
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Facade of the secular university. The university dates from the 13th century, the oldest in Spain. However, the building dates from the 15th century.
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The famous House of Shells (Casa de las Conchas) from the late 15th century. The shell is a symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostela.
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Inside it contains the public library. Pictured here is the courtyard, with the Clerecía in the background. Note the lower arches which are really made of 5 little curves.
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The high altar of La Purisima (the Most Pure) by José Ribera, in the 17th century church the same name.

Click on an image to see the full size photo

Patrons of Salamanca

St. John of Sahagun (San Juan de Sanhagœn) (1430-1479) was a priest in the order of St. Augustine, Prior (local superior) of the Salamanca Monastery, and known for his preaching in Salamanca. Canonized in 1691, he is Patron of the City and the Diocese, and his relics are in the new Cathedral. (Feast June 12)

Santa Teresa de Jesús (de Avila) (1515-1582), famous reformer and founder of the Spanish Carmelites, is a Patron of the Diocese. In 1570 she founded a convent in Salamanca, and again visited in 1573 to put things in order at the foundation there.

Although not a patron of Salamanca, St. John of the Cross (San Juan de la Crux) attended the University of Salamanca from 1564-68: three years in the arts (philosophy) program and one year in theology. He was ordained a priest in Salamanca in July of 1567.

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