Murcia information
From the River to the Alameda
In the beginning, Murcia was an “alcazaba”, that is
to say a fortified enclosure from within which its first inhabitants
took refuge from the river floods, epidemics and the attacks of
the fearsome Moorish tribes.
In the first space, which has an area of about a hundred thousand
square metres, was built the main Alcázar, the residence
of the emir’s governor, the Caramajul tower, which had a
huge water wheel inside used to supply the inhabitants, the main
Mosque and the Prince’s house or Darajanife. It is not surprising
to find that even now, eleven centuries later, a large position
of the political, administrative and religious sectors have their
headquarters here. This is where the old, well- heart of the city
beats, and thus is a good starting point for our voyage of discovery.
In the Glorieta, bringing to mind the leafy flower- beds and fountains,
which gave life to the Prince’s palace, the sun gently warms
the bronze statue of Cardinal Belluga (1662/1743), a bishop and
warrior who in peacetime forded the river and walked among the
orchard trees to show interest in the life of the country folk.
Behind the statue, like a balcony over the river Segura hangs
the “martillo” or hammer as it known, an arched wing
of the former Bishop’s Palace and facing the river between
palms and jacaranda trees stands the Town Hall, built on the ruins
of the Prince’s Palace.
The narrow Calle Arenal, with its shields and pigeons, take us
into the Plaza de Belluga, where our most highly- prized historical
building stands: the Cathedral.
Bishop Pedrosa laid the foundation stone in 1388: then no- one
could imagine that the work would take four centuries to finish,
a long period which explains the widely differing styles of architecture
to be found in it: it has 23 chapels each with its own artistic
conception, from that of the Marqués de los Vélez,
with its lacey stonework typical of the most ornate Gothic style,
(1507) to the Junterones chapel (1525), one of the most original
of all Spanish renaissance works.
The Sacristy also belongs to this period, inspired by that of
San Lorenzo by Brunelleschi. The altarpiece of the capilla Del
Socorro, the choir stalls, dating from the 15th century, and the
woodcarving of Saint Jerome by Salzillo are among its other treasures.
With the tower, the renaissance came to Murcia. It took the place
of another, less impressive tower, which in its turn replaced
the minaret of the mosque. The Florentín brothers between
1521 and 1525 built the first srage of the present tower. The
second stage with its rich logic capitals, garlands and statues
of the saints in their niches, was finished in 1645, while a further
120 were to pass by before the third stage was commenced: the
lantern, which crowns the octagonal roof, is 92 metres above the
ground. However, the most beautiful and admired jewel of the whole
collection is the West Front (1736- 1754), a lovely stone façade,
work of the sculptor and design Jaime Bort. Murcian masons, painters,
gilders and joiners of Spain’s Golden Age worked together
on a project, which has been catalogued as a work of art of international
baroque.
The West Front faces the Bishop’s Palace, built between
1748 and 1768, on a piece of land donated by the Fajardo family,
well- known in Murcia since the 15th century. In the rococo style,
the shield of Bishop Roca y Contreras blazes forth from the main
balcony of the north façade, picked out in red.
The south door onto the Glorieta is more baroque in style, while
inside the palace we admire the square courtyard and the bishop’s
chapel. Alongside we find the former seminary of San Fulgencio,
today the School of Dramatic Art, the Theological College of San
Isidoro, taken over by the Licenciado Cascales Secondary School,
and the museum- church of San Juan de Dios, where a choice selection
of religious carving of the 16th to 19th centuries may be found.
Adjoining the Town Hall is a new wing designed by well- known
Spanish architect Rafael Moneo. The Plaza de Belluga, sunny and
relaxing, offers room for culture and leisure, where on leaving
the cathedral visitors love to sit for a while at a café
table, in the shade of the orange trees, to admire yet again the
magnificent Wet Front of the Cathedral, with its clusters of columns,
medallions, capitals, black stone pedestals, niches, cherubim,
balusters and stone figures silhouetted against the blue sky.
Around the Cathedral, we find two more squares of different shapes
and sizes: the Plaza de los Apóstoles, which takes its
name from one of the cathedral doors, in the gothic style, and
the Plaza de la Cruz, in the lee of the tower. These squares are
part and parcel of the city, reminding us of the old courtyards
shared by blocks of houses: an ideal place to rest, chat and stare
while we enjoy coffee and toast or fresh orange juice, wine with
a tasty tapa or even a plate pf spaghetti, as all sorts of eating
houses are to be found round the Cathedral and the Glorieta, with
colourful parasols shading the tables and chairs which are not
stowed away until nightfall.
There is always time to linger in the narrow streets and tiny
squares, amid the bustle of the city, to window- gaze and follow
our noses as far as the bars and restaurants in whose kitchens
steaming pans of stews, greens, meat or fish tempt us. Inside,
slates are covered with the names of hot or cold tapas such as
zarangollo, (stewed courgettes, potatoes and onions with scrambled
eggs), fried baby broad beans with chunks of cured ham, pickled
sardines each mated to an anchovy, black pudding, salads of lettuce
and tomato, oven- trays of baked potatoes with garlic mayonnaise,
salt fish and cooked meats, crushed olives, stewed beans, or chard
stems with pine- nuts. All this adds to the relaxing gaiety of
our city centre.
The narrow, bustling Calle Trapería, reminding us of the
old Moorish market lanes, leads out of the Plaza de la Cruz. Once
Murcia had been won back from the Moors, King Jaime I ordered
the street to be laid out and named Troncada. Trapería
(now named after the Cloth Merchants´Guild) is a river of
people coming and going, some slow down or halt before the windows
of the Casino, where in the nineteenth century the worthy citizens
would sit to be admired like fish in a bowl. Inside wonder at
its old- world splendours: gilding like cigar labels, divans,
horns of plenty, golden cherubim, plaster mouldings round the
ceilings, velvets, slim columns like those of Pompeii and the
Louis Quinze style ballroom, the work of Ramón Berenguer.
Leading out of Calle Trapería are a number of narrow, winding
streets which seem to lead to nowhere in particular but which
take us swiftly to where ever we need to go, cosy little squares
and peaceful lanes, ever shady in the height of summer. In the
midst of this labyrinth stands the Fontes mansion, fronting onto
a square, which was a Moorish graveyard: the neoclassical Cerdá
and Guillamón houses, the Puxmarín mansion and the
church of San Bartolome with its treasured woodcarvings by Salzillo.
The headquarters of the guild of silversmiths, from its doorway
we can see into Calle Platería, home of Jewish jewellers
and weavers, a narrow pedestrian thoroughfare, which Azorín
compared to a corridor in a house. In this area including the
Gran Vía, Calle Trapería and the Romea square the
traditional shops are to be found, with their motto: “Murcia,
Open Centre”. The old street of the soap- makers, Calle
Jabonería, lined with fir trees and red carpeted in the
festive season is typical.
Platería and Trapería streets meet and embrace at
the Cuatro Esquinas: so do the locals, exchanging news, sharing
congratulations or expressions of sympathy. Passers- by of all
social conditions come together at these cross- roads with its
aroma of roasting coffee, confectionery and meat pies. A mere
breathing- space spates the Cuatro Esquinas from the Plaza de
Santo Domingo, and it’s well worth- while to make a short
detour to the left to see the Plaza de Romea, formerly known as
the Plaza de Esparta, where we see a statue to the memory of Fernández
Caballero, the Murcian composer, the work of Planes, which looks
over towards the Romea theatre. This was opened by Queen Isabel
n 1862 but has been burnt down twice. It is said that a curse
augurs a third fire as it is built on the site of a monastery
graveyard. There is a magnificent stage curtain painted by Emilio
Sala. To the west of the theatre is the Vinader mansion, an example
of late 18th century architecture, while to the east is the Fontanar
home, birthplace of F. Díaz de Mendoza, the actor, opposite
the Gonzalez Campuzano mansion. The Romea lends character to the
square: flanked by the highest casuarinas trees in the region,
it is not unusual to see famous actors, actresses and musicians
relaxing over a coffee or a snack, and on summer nights outdoor
entertainment is laid on to the delight of the citizens, although
the square is busy at all times of the day and night because of
the many shops, restaurants and bars around.
Through an archway, we return to the Plaza de Santo Domingo, formerly
the Market, and site of royal ceremonies, tourneys, executions,
bullfights and other celebrations. Laid out in 1547 as the main
square of the city, it is reported to be the citizens´ favourite.
It is an inviting place for a leisurely stroll, buying a bunch
of flowers or a newspaper and sitting in the sun, which is reflected
off the dome of the Cerdá building. Ask for the menu and
choose some dishes from our traditional cuisine: the best thing
is the day´s special: fresh vegetables, roast lamb or fish
baked in salt, rounded off which such typical Murcia desserts
as “paparajotes”, lemon leaves deep fried in sweet
batter or squares of cinnamon flavoured custard known as “leche
frita”, or fried milk, often served with vainilla ice-cream.
The square is shaded by a magnificent ficus tree, planted in 1893;
among its roots, surrounding by pigeons, is a bust of Ricardo
Codorniú, the botanist, known as the Apostol of Trees.
The Almodovar mansion, a mannerist building reconstructed in 1908,
is on a line with the convent church of Santo Domingo with its
two facades, the west unfinished and the east, which gives onto
the square, brick- clad, with its two towers and belfry.
To the north lies a long tree- lined parade on the site of the
legendary gardens of the lesser Alcazar, or Moorish palace, pleasure
grounds of the Arab Kings. On the left of the promenade, we find
the towers of the Santa Clara convent, their windows modestly
hidden behind wooden latticework. This way the first convent to
be built in Murcia, founded by King Alfonso X himself. In the
courtyard are Islamic remains and a beautiful cloister with its
three rows of stone archways, the arched galley on the first floor
and a tiny window, one of the few remains of the Gothic style
in Murcia; the finely worked pillars show Mudejar influence. Over
the remains of 12th and 13th century Moorish dwellings, which
still show signs of their carved wooden ceiling panels, a cultural
centre has been set up. To the right of the avenue, opposite Las
Claras, on the site of the bath- house and dwelling of the Moorish
women, stands the convent church of Santa Ana, founded in 1490;
some of its wood carvings and altar- pieces are specially lovely.
The nuns of the order of Santa Ana are specialists in typical
convent confectionery: try some of their delicious pastries.
The Alameda de Alfonso X is a delightful shady promenade lined
with leafy plane trees. The Book Fair and handicraft exhibitions
take place here in an ideal setting, light and airy, warm and
peaceful. Tall trees also peep out from the rear of the Jesus
y Maria school. A little further up, the Archaeological Museum
holds pieces from the Neolithic age and even more from the Arnarican,
Iberian, Roman, and Moorish periods, including hand- painted ceramics
and plaster- work from the convent of Santa Clara.
The avenue takes us far as the Plaza Circular, but along the way
we pass a trail of specialized shops, fashion franchises, banks,
seafood and other restaurants where you can enjoy anything from
a hearty plate of Germany sauerkraut to roast lamb, a whole feast
of fresh vegetables or aubergines a la crème, a delicious
local speciality. Murcia is sensuous, baroque and generous, as
you can see perfectly from the dozens and dozens of bar and restaurant
counters, vying to tempt the passer- by.