Pastrana
Encyclopedia
Pastrana is a medieval town and municipality
in the province of Guadalajara
, Castile-La Mancha
, Spain
, around 25 miles southeast of the provincial capital, Guadalajara
. It is notable as the site of the imprisonment of the one-eyed Princess of Éboli by Philip II of Spain
after a court scandal in 1573, and also as the home of several Flemish tapestries depicting the attack of Alfonso V of Portugal
on Morocco in 1470.
, La Plaza de la Hora (usually referred to as "La Plaza", in English "the square of the hour"), which is overlooked by the Palacio Ducal, the aforementioned Princess' palace and prison rolled into one. According to legend, she would be allowed to gaze out onto the square from the window of the room she was confined to for one hour a day, whence came the square's name. Fanning out from La Plaza are narrow, cobbled streets lined with houses, bars and shops. The main street leads to the Iglesia de la Asunción, in whose museum the tapestries are kept, and also a painting by El Greco
. Further along are the old Jewish and Arab
quarters.
at Easter and La Fiesta in August, a week of events, such as concerts, parties, encierro
s and bullfights, with the town congregating in La Plaza every evening for a night of live music and dancing.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the province of Guadalajara
Guadalajara (province)
Guadalajara is a province of central/north-central Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Madrid, Segovia, Soria, Zaragoza, and Teruel...
, Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha is an autonomous community of Spain. Castile-La Mancha is bordered by Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Extremadura. It is one of the most sparsely populated of Spain's autonomous communities...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, around 25 miles southeast of the provincial capital, Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Spain
Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 km northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 83,789...
. It is notable as the site of the imprisonment of the one-eyed Princess of Éboli by Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
after a court scandal in 1573, and also as the home of several Flemish tapestries depicting the attack of Alfonso V of Portugal
Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...
on Morocco in 1470.
Geography
Pastrana is centered around a squarePlaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
, La Plaza de la Hora (usually referred to as "La Plaza", in English "the square of the hour"), which is overlooked by the Palacio Ducal, the aforementioned Princess' palace and prison rolled into one. According to legend, she would be allowed to gaze out onto the square from the window of the room she was confined to for one hour a day, whence came the square's name. Fanning out from La Plaza are narrow, cobbled streets lined with houses, bars and shops. The main street leads to the Iglesia de la Asunción, in whose museum the tapestries are kept, and also a painting by El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
. Further along are the old Jewish and Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
quarters.
Festivals
Important events are Semana SantaHoly Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
at Easter and La Fiesta in August, a week of events, such as concerts, parties, encierro
Encierro
The Running of the Bulls is a practice that involves running in front of a small group of bulls that have been let loose, on a course of a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets...
s and bullfights, with the town congregating in La Plaza every evening for a night of live music and dancing.
External links
- A Stranger In Spain (ISBN 0-413-52200-8) by H. V. Morton. See Chapter III for Morton's travels through Pastrana.