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SPAIN | León, Spain Travel Guide
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Sightseeing in Astorga
Sightseeing in Astorga
An exquisite 17th-century Baroque Ayuntamiento (town hall) crowns Astorga’s Plaza Mayor; behind it are the excavated ruins of a Roman mansion floored with an intricate mosaic. Other Roman ruins are scattered throughout the city: the Ergástula, a subterranean chamber believed to have held Roman slaves; the Basilica next to the forum and the Museo Romano on Calle General Mola; the public baths off Calle Santiago Crespo; and a drainage system that still feeds through the Parque de Sinagoga. From the Parque de Sinagoga, the promenade of Blanco de Cela leads through a picturesque part of the city along the Roman walls to the square of the Marquises of Astorga, whose 15th-century castle was leveled in 1872 by Napoleon’s troops. From the square, Calle Leopoldo Panero runs to the Catedral and the Palacio Episcopal de Astorga.
The 15tth-century Catedral maintained the floor plan of an earlier Romanesque cathedral. In the 250 years it took for completion, the Cathedral endured the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and devastating bombardment during the Napoleonic invasion. As a result of time and turmoil, it is a blend of styles, fundamentally Gothic with buttresses and knobby spires, but prominently displaying a Baroque doorway, a Renaissance bell tower and beautiful plateresque south façade and a Neo-Classical cloister. The Museo de la Catedral houses a collection of Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque art, including elaborately embellished royal chests and the reliquary of the Lignum Crucis.
Near the Cathedral is the 19th-century Palacio Episcopal de Astorga. In 1886 the residence of Astorga’s prelate, Bishop Grau, burned down. The Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí was chosen to rebuild the Palacio Episcopal de Astorga largely because he was from the bishop’s hometown of Reus. Gaudí, who was too preoccupied with his work on the other side of the country to spend much time in Astorga, designed a new Gothic palace based on reports and old photographs. The design was turned down by the local academy and, after extensive changes, work was begun, during which Bishop Grau died. Further disagreements with the local academy led Gaudí to abandon the project and take his crew with him. The Neo-Gothic palace was roofless for 20 years until a Madrileño, Ricardo García Guereta, was commissioned to complete it. Inside, the Museo de los Caminos displays regalia related to the Camino de Santiago, along with a collection of gold and silverware, Roman relics and Gothic art.
The Museo de Chocolate divulges the sweet history of Astorga’s 18th-century chocolate industry. With the arrival of cocoa beans from the New World to nearby Galician ports, Astorga became one of the country’s leading producers of chocolate. Here you can sample chocolate based on 200-year-old recipes and come away with a new appreciation for Toblerone and Hershey’s.
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