Northern Spain (Part 3): Burgos

Burgos sits on the banks of the Arlanzón River and was, in its day, one of the chief seats of the Spanish crown. It is also the home of one of Spain's best known heros who fought against the Moors: Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid.

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Its main feature is the Cathedral, also of the French Gothic style, began as a simple Romanesque building. In 1221 work began to expand the church and within 40 years it was complete, except for the two soaring towers which were added during the 15th century. The Cathedral door through which most tour groups enter is the Puerta de la Coronería on which is the glorified Christ surrounded by the four Evangelists (along with their respective anthropomorphic figures). Notable about the Cathedral is the fact that today it is the resting place of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar or "El Cid" whose tomb is located under the main dome of the Cathedral directly in front of the main altar.

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Burgos is also the home of the Monasterio de Santa María de las Huelgas. According to the tour guide the monastery was established in an area where the nobles of the court and the king would frequently go to leisure around, thus the use of the term "huelga" or "lounging."  The monastery was established by Eleanor of Aquitaine, the wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile in 1187. The order that has occupied the monastery since its establishment has been that of Cistercian nuns. In the beginning the monastery was home to young women from the noblest households of Spain and with them came the power and financing to make the monastery one of the most powerful and important of the peninsula. Early abbess's had the power to tax and were noted for their use of an archbishop-like "bacula" or staff and the wearing of a mitre hat. In the 16th century the order was moved to Madrid to the Convento de las Descalzas Reales. Today only about 30 nuns live and work within the monastery; none of them are of noble descent.  The monastery is a wonderful example of medieval monastic life with much of its interior as it was during the 12th - 15th centuries. It holds one of the most impressive collections of medieval clothing, rescued from the looted crypts of the monastery.