Christian Church under the Muslim Castle - Short Vintage version
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Christian Church under the Muslim Castle - Short Vintage version
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Christian Church under the Muslim Castle. Short vintage version.
Panoramic view of the Romanesque Shrine of Saint Michael underneath the remains of Gormaz Castle and its Califal Gate, in Soria, Spain. The little shrine was built in the11th century and symbolized the definitive Christian reconquest of the region.
Gormaz Castle is a fortress of Muslim origin. Its construction began in the 9th century, during the Caliphate of Cordoba on the remains of a former castle of Christian origin.
The castle consists of two parts separated by a moat. It had a large main gate with a monumental horseshoe arch, known as the Califal Gate, which still stands.
Castle Gormaz thus became a key part of the Muslim defense against the north Christian kingdoms. It became the biggest European fortress of its time: with a very elongated east-west walled perimeter of 4,000 ft, 1,500 ft long and up to 31 towers. Its location and its excellent visibility allowed control of access routes to the north and the Duero River and was one of the most coveted strategic positions for both Muslims and Christians over the 9th and 10th centuries.
Devised to defend a region very much fought for, the fortress was conquered by the Christians in 912 and returned to Muslim hands during the caliphate of Al-Hakam II who ordered its expansion. In 978 Count Garcia Fernandez, captured and kept the castle until 983, when it was retaken by Almanzor. It remained in the possession of Muslims until its definitive conquest by the Christians in 1060 by Ferdinand I of Le�n. Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, the Cid, was lord of Gormaz from 1087. It was at this time when the village of Gormaz was founded at the foot of the castle.
As the reconquest proceeded and the border between Alandalus and the Christian kingdoms was pushed south, the strategic importance of the castle declined and it was later used as a prison until its final abandonment. The castle is a national monument since 1931.
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Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
October 4th, 2016
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