While we were based in Calahorra we decided to spend a day in Tudela, rather than pop in on the way to Sos del Rey Catolico. It was a good decision as even a few hours in the old city were very rewarding!
Plaza de los Fueros
We started in this beautiful square close to the car park for two reasons: the tourist office, and a cup of coffee. The square dates from the 17th century and it was intended as a bullring and for other big public events.
On the walls around the square are coats of arms of families in the area and of towns in the district. No doubt it is still used for big gatherings, but it is also a meeting place with cafes all round the outside, and the site of the tourist office. The tourist offices in Spain are, without exception, excellent; staff are helpful and there are maps and brochures to take away. Without a map you will lose your way in the winding streets of these old towns!
The Cathedral of Santa Maria la Mayor
Building work on the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria started in the 12th century on the site of a Mosque which was demolished. Construction continued into the 13th century so the building includes Romanesque and Gothic styles. In 1783 by Pope Pius VI declared the church a Cathedral.
Inside the Cathedral
The church belonged to the Cistercian order and so it is very plain inside
The Cathedral Cloister
The Cloister, built 1180-1204, is very beautiful indeed, and the only one I have seen which is planted and green. It is explained in great detail here but I hope this gives a taste of what I saw.
The carvings on the capitals are just amazing, and you could spend hours looking at them. Apparently there is considerable concern about the state of the carvings and how best to preserve them as this s described as one of the most important Romanesque complexes in Europe.
Tudela’s Jewish Quarter
The Jewish community in Tudela was apparently the most important of its kind in Navarre. The Jews settled here under Arab rule, which is interesting in the context of current affairs. When the city was conquered by Alfonso they agreed to remain but only if their rights were protected – a Jewish quarter with a synagogue near the cathedral, certain tax exemptions, and a cemetery outside the city walls. In return they had to maintain part of the fortifications.
The museum attached to the Cathedral had interesting information about important Jews. Tudela was the. birthplace of some Jewish scholars. Judah ha-Levi (c.1141) was one of the great Jewish poets, a philosopher, and a physician. (Transpose those qualities on to your current GP!) He journeyed to Israel at the end of his life and died there. Benjamin of Tudela was a 12th century traveller who visited Europe, Asia and Africa. A description of his travels can be read online.
The museum also displayed a reproduction of the Kennicot Bible, an illuminated copy of the Hebrew Bible made in the 15th century. It was eventually rediscovered by Benjamin Kennicot, a Hebrew scholar at Christ Church College, Oxford.
Antagonism towards the Jews never diminished and in 1498 King John III of Navarre decreed that they had to convert to Christianity or leave the country. While some converted most families emigrated, mainly to France.
Seen in Tudela
And then, as always, you have to walk.
A thought
‘..A common culture in our continent [which encourages] the practice of cultured and respectful tourism..’.
The day in Tudela was wonderful. It was interesting, the cathedral will never be forgotten, and the notice about a common culture and respectful tourism was an unusual thought to find on a public notice.