Last weekend, I was finally making my way to La Ciudad Encantada (as I mentioned in my much earlier post on Cuenca that I would) but thanks to some detours, the journey took a little longer than expected. Yes, my curiousity often stirs me to make multiple diversions.
Diverting off the A-3 highway and entering a small town just after Tarancón, the first thing that I caught sight of was an imposing fortress sitting on a hill.
This town is called Uclés and its main attraction is its palatial 16th century monastery, which also consist of a church within its walled enclosure. The building is two stories high and formed around a square courtyard.
I also found out that a 2006 Spanish film titled "Alatriste" starring Viggo Mortensen was partially shot here!
Above: The Eastern façade of the monastery.
Above: The Northern façade.
Above left: The main entrance of the monastery is simply splendid. Look closely, among the elaborate sculptural ornaments you'll notice dolphins, cherubs, soldiers, etc. Right at the top is the half body sculpture of Saint James wielding a sword (in defence of faith).
Above right: An interesting feature in the center of the courtyard is this Baroque stone well, which means there's a water chamber beneathe.
Above: The central courtyard.
Diverting off the A-3 highway and entering a small town just after Tarancón, the first thing that I caught sight of was an imposing fortress sitting on a hill.
This town is called Uclés and its main attraction is its palatial 16th century monastery, which also consist of a church within its walled enclosure. The building is two stories high and formed around a square courtyard.
I also found out that a 2006 Spanish film titled "Alatriste" starring Viggo Mortensen was partially shot here!
Above: The Eastern façade of the monastery.
Above: The Northern façade.
Above left: The main entrance of the monastery is simply splendid. Look closely, among the elaborate sculptural ornaments you'll notice dolphins, cherubs, soldiers, etc. Right at the top is the half body sculpture of Saint James wielding a sword (in defence of faith).
Above right: An interesting feature in the center of the courtyard is this Baroque stone well, which means there's a water chamber beneathe.
Above: The central courtyard.
Above left: Another view of the well in the courtyard.
Above right: Interior of the church.
Above: The cloister on the first floor.
Above: On the upper floor.
Above: View of the surrounding landscape from the monastery.
Above: One of the (restored) original towers of the fortress.
So there you go, my first of the few interesting discoveries along the way...
Que casualidad--I called this place home for 2 weeks in August while I was working at a summer camp! It was deliciously scary at night, with bats flying 'round, thick darkness, and howling wind.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've heard about "Alatriste" being filmed there, now I'm curious to check it out.
Wow, that's so cool! I can only imagine what it's like to be there at night!
ReplyDelete