Coria (Cáceres) (0)

Did you know that... Coria

It is located in the northwest of the province of Cáceres, on a hill overlooking the plain of the River Alagón. The origin of Coria is lost in the dawn of time, there is talk of continuous settlement of the Vetton people, of Celtic lineage, which several centuries before Christ, from VIII to VI, make Caura its capital. With the Roman occupation Caurium acquired full urban development and in the fourth century they decided to wallet it off for better defence against the barbarian peoples. In the Visigothic period Coria was also flourishing and it is at this stage that the Diocese of Coria is created. This episcopal see is maintained until the 20th century when it is shared with Cáceres. In the first quarter of the 8th century it is conquered by the Muslims who called it Medina Cauria. As it maintained a border position between the Christian and Arab kingdoms, between the 11th and 12th centuries it passed alternatively from Muslim to Christian hands until in the year 1142 Alfonso VII reconquered it definitively. After the Reconquest, Coria passed from royal land to county lordship and in 1472 it was incorporated into the Marquisate of the Ducal House of Alba. The history of Coria, according to historians, has gone hand in hand with its long episcopal past.

What to see in Coria?

Strolling through the historical centre of Coria, declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the category of Historical Ensemble, entering it through any of the four doors that it has preserved from its Roman walls from the 3rd and 4th centuries and enjoying a pleasant walk, is to discover a fundamental nucleus of the development of Extremadura's art. Interestingly, the gates that provide access to the city walls are known by several different names, such as San Pedro, depending on the historical period in which it was called the Gate of the Sun, due to its location to the northeast, Corredera, due to its proximity to this road, or San Ginés, due to its proximity to the hermitage dedicated to this saint; the door of San Francisco, which served as a passage to the convent of the Barefoot Franciscans located outside the walls, is also known as the door of the Cava for being continuous to the moat of the Castle, or of the Roll for being close to the square where this jurisdictional symbol was located; the door of Carmen also known as the New Door because its construction was in the 16th century; and the door of the Guide or door of the city, of the Escalerilla, of the Star or of the Four Streets, preserves, like that of San Pedro, its primitive Roman construction.

Follow the visit

The castle stands in the northwest corner of the Roman wall, was rebuilt by the Dukes of Alba in the late fifteenth century taking advantage of the previous fortification of the Templars of the twelfth century, in which highlights the crenellated keep. The convent of the Mother of God was founded in the thirteenth century by the daughters of the illustrious nobleman Don Arias Rodriguez Maldonado and reverend Franciscan Mothers of the Third Order Regular, rebuilt at the end of the fifteenth century and in it stands the church that has a beautiful Gothic doorway and a beautiful Renaissance Gothic cloister of Mudejar manufacture of the early sixteenth century. Other buildings are also of unquestionable artistic interest, such as the 18th century Ecclesiastical Prison, where you can still see the large windows lattices typical of his prison function; the 17th century Royal Prison, which houses part of the history of the city of Coria in its cells; the 18th and 19th century Council College and the Old Town Hall, which was built in the year 1479, being restored in various stages of the history of the town, today it houses the Municipal School of Music; the church of Santiago Apóstol, in Gothic-Renaissance style from the 16th and 18th centuries, is the second most important parish in Coria.

To discover

In front of the church of Santiago is the Alhóndiga that since its construction in the sixteenth century and until the twentieth century has served as a deposit of grains and cereals, sometimes made the headquarters of the council because of the poor state of the main, was used for the celebration of some public entertainment and today is the Public Library, the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Argeme, baroque of the seventeenth century, recently restored keeps the image of the patron saint of the city and the Diocese, is a carving of a black Virgin of the twelfth century. But the most representative architectural element of Coria is the cathedral of Santa Maria de la Asuncion, built in the 16th century on top of another medieval temple, it has two doors, the oldest one is from the end of the Gothic period with important plateresque additions. The Old Bridge or Medieval Bridge, from the 15th-16th centuries, built on top of an earlier one of Roman origin, or the Via Dalmacia, which are the remains of the old Roman road, which was extensively restored in the 17th century, are part of the many attractions that Coria offers to the visitor who will also surely enjoy its rich and varied gastronomy and its attractive social life.

Festivities

Coria celebrates its most popular festivities in honour of San Juan Bautista between the 23rd and 29th of June and on the Monday following the second Sunday of May there is a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Virgen de Argeme, patron saint of the town.

Traditions

In Coria, the traditional San Juan festivities, declared of Regional Tourist Interest in 1976, are celebrated. Its origin can be traced back to the time of the Vetons, who with a marked cattle character, worshipped the bull as a sacred animal. Within the walled city, religious rites were performed, many of them related to the bull and fire and coinciding with dates such as the summer solstice.

Curiosities

In Coria, the earthquake of Lisboa, which occurred on November 1, 1755, caused devastating effects. It changed the course of the Alagón River, leaving the so-called Old Bridge without a river to save, and the main vault of the Cathedral collapsed, burying all those who were attending All Saints' Day Mass at that time.

The Legend

Legend has it that the man who built the old bridge over which no river passes has been called the fool of Coria. Under the bridge and its surroundings grow fruit trees and farmlands, the river Alagón follows its course meters and meters away. On the other hand, we must remember that in the 16th century Velázquez painted the famous painting of the jester of the Court of Felipe IV, sitting on the ground with a pumpkin on each side, which is today officially called El Bobo de Coria. It is said that this jester was a native of Coria and that while serving in the palace of the Duke of Alba one day he took him to court and the king was so pleased that he took him for his entourage. A decorative statue in granite on a pilaster of the cathedral's balustrade is still called "The Coria Buffoon".

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