Real estate assets of Alcalá de Henares
Files
"They are the organic sets of documents, or the meeting of several of them, gathered by legal entities, public or private, in the exercise of their activities, at the service of their use for research, culture, information and administrative management. Likewise, Archives are understood to be the cultural institutions where said organic sets are gathered, preserved, organized and disseminated for the aforementioned purposes."[20].
The building project was designed by architect Juan Segura de Lago. Work began at the end of 1969 and was completed in the spring of 1973. The building, with a triangular plan, stands on a 16,416 m² plot of land. The total constructed area is 42,269 m² distributed over nine floors. Its total capacity is approximately 200 km of non-compact shelving for the installation of documents.[28][29] It also includes the Central Education Archive and the Archive Document Information Center (CIDA).[30].
Historical ensembles
"It is the grouping of real estate that forms a settlement unit, continuous or dispersed, conditioned by a physical structure representative of the evolution of a human community because it is a testimony of its culture or constitutes a value of use and enjoyment for the community. It is also
Historical Complex any individualized nucleus of properties included in a higher unit of population that meets those same characteristics and can be clearly delimited."[20].
The historical complex of Alcalá is a World Heritage Site, developed since the Middle Ages, and in which "Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in tolerance".[17].
The University of Alcalá stands out "Universidad de Alcalá (historical)"), founded by Francisco Ximenez de Cisneros in 1499 by bull of Alexander VI, transformed the city into the intellectual center of Spain in the 19th and 20th centuries. In these years Alcalá became the city of knowledge. The great figures who made the so-called Spanish Golden Age possible appear linked, either as students or as teachers, to the city and to the Complutense academy. Names such as Elio Antonio de Nebrija, Francisco de Quevedo, Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Tirso de Molina, Mateo Alemán, Antonio Pérez, Benito Arias Montano, Santo Tomás de Villanueva, San Francisco Caracciolo, San Ignacio de Loyola, San Juan de la Cruz and Miguel de Cervantes speak to us of his artistic and cultural greatness.
The trace of that golden age can be seen today by contemplating the old university colleges such as El Mayor de San Ildefonso, Jesuitas, Dominicos, Trinitarios, Caracciolos, Basilios or the Colegio del Rey, which are some of the more than fifty university colleges that settled in the city over the centuries.[17].
If there is an emblematic building of the city, it is the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso, a work that does not end with its beautiful Plateresque façade designed by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. From the interior, where courtyards of the purest Classical Renaissance blend harmoniously with the sumptuousness of Juan Gómez de Mora's Herreriano, the Chapel of San Ildefonso and the Paraninfo must be highlighted above all.
The Chapel of San Ildefonso, with Mudejar architecture, reflects the mixture of Muslim, Jewish and Christian monotheistic cultures. The Mudejar coffered ceilings stand out for their sobriety and contemplation, for their dimensions and for the knowledge that was demonstrated in their elaboration by not using any connecting element between the pieces. Despite everything, they have managed to survive five centuries without any restoration. In the Presbytery of the chapel, the beautiful tomb of the founder of the University, Cardinal Cisneros, stands out, in which the Gothic of Domenico Fancelli is mixed with the Renaissance of Bartolomé Ordóñez, being at the time of its construction the most expensive tomb in the history of Spain.[31]
As curiosities, it should be noted that Cisneros' tomb is oriented towards the altar, a privilege of the ecclesiastics that the Catholic Monarchs did not have in the Royal Chapel of Granada, and the face of the Cardinal made with his funerary mask, being his most faithful portrait.
The Paraninfo, which surprises more than any other place in Alcalá for its beauty and splendor, condenses, like the chapel of San Ildefonso, the mix of cultures through its Mudejar tradition and serves as the framework for the Aula Magna of the University of Alcalá. On the walls appear names of illustrious professors and students who passed through the alma mater of Alcala. Today it is the place where the Kings of Spain present the Cervantes Prize for literature every April 23, the highest award given to a writer who has given his entire life to enrich the Spanish language.[32].
Touring Alcalá we can discover its 2000 years of history: the Roman house of Hippolytus, the Islamic fortress of Alcalá la Vieja, the medieval walled enclosure, the Cathedral-Magistral, the Archbishop's Palace, the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso, the Birthplace of Cervantes, the Monastery of San Bernardo, the Corral de Comedias, the Puerta de Madrid or the Palacio Laredo are a sample of the rich historical-artistic heritage that can be visited today.[33].
The ancient Roman city of Complutum, changed its name and location when Islam was imposed on the Iberian Peninsula, being called Al'Qual'at in Nah'ar, a name that would establish the definitive name of the city. After the Reconquista, in 1118, the city became a manor and habitual residence of the Archbishops of Toledo, prelates who pampered and beautified it throughout the centuries.[17].
It was declared an immovable monument on June 10, 1968, with the code RI-53-0000095.[24].
Sights
"They are those real estate that constitute architectural or engineering achievements, or works of colossal sculpture whenever they have historical, artistic, scientific or social interest."[20].
The Magistral Church was built in the place where the Alcalaíno children Justo and Pastor were supposedly martyred. The temple reached the status of collegiate church in 1479. This church is one of only two in the world that have the title of "Magistral", along with that of Saint Peter of Leuven in Belgium, which means that all its canons had to be magister (doctors in theology) from the university. The current building was erected between 1497 and 1514 at the request of Cardinal Cisneros, its architects Antón and Enrique Egas choosing a late Gothic or Elizabethan style. Next to the market where the door opens stands the robust tower whose bell body was finished in Herrerian style in the 19th century.[34][35][36].
The exterior is simple and austere. On the main façade, between buttresses and in a flamboyant Gothic style, it has a door with a lowered arch and tympanum, in which the coats of arms of the Church and of Cisneros can be seen, and the image of San Ildefonso. It has three naves and an ambulatory, and imitates the floor plan of the Toledo Cathedral. It has simple cross vaults in the lower naves and with simple triplets in the upper one. In the crypt the bodies of the two child martyrs are preserved in a silver urn and in the one on the main altar, the incorrupt body of San Diego de Alcalá.[37].
The cathedral tower was built between 1528 and 1582 in Renaissance style, but its current appearance dates back to 1618. It is the work of Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón and Rodrigo Argüello. It measures 60 meters high. It is topped by a Herrerian-style slate spire.[38].
Next to the cathedral is the diocesan museum where you can visit religious objects belonging to the diocese. Gothic features although with chapels, burials and cloisters of different later styles, the Herrerian tower stands out.[39][40] The Cathedral is the episcopal seat of the diocese of Alcalá de Henares.
It was declared an immovable monument on December 28, 1904, with the code RI-51-0000085. Late Gothic and Renaissance styles predominate. And it is located in the Plaza de los Santos Ninos.[41].
Its façade was built in 1537 by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, architect of the cathedrals of Salamanca and Segovia, it was finished in 1553 by Pedro de la Cotera as a surveyor. The most qualified carvers of the time worked on its elegant decoration and the masters of Toledo Cathedral Francisco de Villalpando and Ruiz Díaz del Corral forged its admirable bars. It preserves the Patio of Santo Tomás de Villanueva and that of the Philosophers and the Trilingüe. The Paraninfo and the University Chapel are the only two buildings of the Colegio Mayor built during the time of its founder. The Paraninfo or Scholastic Theater, located in the western bay of the Trilingual Courtyard, was the place for the imposition of degrees and where the solemn academic ceremonies took place. The Chapel of San Ildefonso is one of the most significant examples of the so-called 'Cisneros style'. The plasterwork on its walls, where Gothic, Mudejar and Renaissance ornamental motifs are harmoniously mixed, and its coffered ceilings, with polychrome lacework decoration, give the complex a great sumptuousness and make this building one of the most beautiful exponents of our first Renaissance.[42].
archaeological zones
"It is the place or natural area where there are movable or immovable property that can be studied with archaeological methodology, whether or not they have been extracted and whether they are found on the surface, in the subsoil or under Spanish territorial waters."[20].
Medieval fortress, built by the Muslims, whose first references date back to the 19th century. Of the old fortification, only a defensive tower, recently restored, and various remains of some towers, which are in a ruinous state, remain standing.
The castle of Alcalá la Vieja was, at first, a simple watchtower "Watchtower (construction)"), which the Muslims built, possibly in the 19th century, to defend the Henares river route, against the advance of the Christian kingdoms through the lands of Al-Andalus. The watchtower was erected in a strategic location, at the top of a hill and on the south bank of the Henares River, which acted as a natural border.
Around this watchtower, a fortified hamlet was built up - known as Qal'at'Abd al-Salam - which displaced, until it was practically abandoned, the primitive urban center of Complutum, founded by the Romans. This was located on the other side of the river and, therefore, showed a much greater degree of vulnerability to possible attacks, which came from the north.
In 1118 Qal'at'Abd al-Salam was reconquered, allowing the recovery of the original urban settlement. Despite this, the fortress built by the Muslims continued to play an important role during the repopulation process, which lasted until the 2nd century. Proof of this are the reforms undertaken in the castle between the 14th and 14th centuries; The most important were those promoted by Pedro Tenorio, archbishop of Toledo. In the following centuries, the fortress gradually lost importance, until it was completely abandoned and left in ruins.[66][67].
The Complutum archaeological site is a set of remains from the ancient Complutum, the Roman city on which Alcalá de Henares sits today, in the Community of Madrid. It is located between Juncal Street and the Henares River bed, in the south western end of the current city (). In 1988 it was declared an asset of cultural interest "Asset of cultural interest (Spain)") by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of the Community of Madrid.[68].
Since August 6, 2008, an important part of its facilities have been opened to the public, as an open-air museum integrated into the Network of visitable sites of the Community of Madrid.[69].
To the northwest of the main site is the house of Hippolytus, a former Complutum Youth College. It is the first museum archaeological site in the Community of Madrid, and one of the few known Roman-era youth schools in Spain. Of the complex, built at the end of the century, the magnificent mosaic made by the master musivarian Hippolytus, which gives its name to the house, stands out, in which a fishing scene is captured with a varied representation of the fauna of the Mediterranean Sea.[70][71].
Assets of patrimonial interest
A "set of goods is the group of works linked by artistic, thematic, functional or contextual affinities that have been produced for the same location from a single creative impulse or through the collaboration of several artists."[74][75].
Inaugurated on October 9, 1956 as a museum, by rebuilding the original estate of Miguel de Cervantes' birthplace. By Royal Decree 680/1985, of April 19, Cervantes' Birthplace was transferred to the Community of Madrid. It has a collection of furniture from the 2nd century, ceramics and everyday objects from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, as well as a selection of Cervantes editions. It recreates the daily life of a wealthy family in Spain, during the 16th and 16th centuries.[76][77][78].
The museum was created on November 27, 1997 by a Decree of the Governing Council of the Community of Madrid, following the transfer that had been made in 1985 to the autonomous communities of state powers in archeology. It has its headquarters in Alcalá de Henares, occupying the building of the old Dominican Convent School of the Madre de Dios, next to the Archbishop's Palace and the Convent of San Bernardo. Its inauguration took place on May 25, 1999.[79]
[80].
Inaugurated on April 11, 1898 in the Plaza de Cervantes "Plaza de Cervantes (Alcalá de Henares)"). It was designed by the municipal architect Martín Pastells. It has an octagonal plan, about 10 meters in diameter, with eight columns on the bases of which the name of the foundry “LEBRERO MADRID” appears engraved. All of this sits on a raised plinth, which currently has two doors. Its structure and decoration is made of wrought iron, presenting allegories to music on each front of the railing, using a lyre "Lyre (musical instrument)") and two trumpets. And at the top, it shows four shields of the city with the royal crown. The roof has a roof made of zinc rhombuses, and ends with a needle-shaped finish. Its main function is musical concerts, but it has also served for theatrical performances, political rallies, religious ceremonies and radio programs. On September 22, 2001, it was reopened after careful restoration.[81][82].
Industrial heritage
Between the 14th and 16th centuries, five river flour mills were established in Alcalá de Henares, on canals that collected water from the Henares River bed. Currently, the mill on the Zulema bridge or on García Island, the farm or on Isla de las Armas mill, and the Colegio or Borgoñón mill are abandoned and in ruins; and the Esgaravita and Cantarranas mills were completely destroyed.
From the first half of the century is the "La Esperanza" flour factory, founded by Sergio Real Hernández in 1916, which is included in the Catalog of the Industrial Heritage of Spain[84][85] and has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest "Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain)") by the Community of Madrid in the category of Industrial Interest.[86] And the ceramic production industries, located south of the urban area.
During the second half of the century the city industrialized rapidly, with architectural references of that period being factories such as: "Forjas de Alcalá" steel factory from 1945, "Sanitarios Roca" from 1958 by the architect José de Azpiroz, "Perfumería Gal" designed by Manuel Sainz de Vicuña y García-Prieto in 1960, and "Caramelos Fiesta" by the architects Alfonso Fernández Castro) and Manuel Guzmán Folgueras") built in 1966.[87] The last three are cataloged in the inventory of
relevant works of the Modern Movement by the DOCOMOMO International Committee.[88][89][90].