DISCOVER
MADRID
Sightseeing in Madrid
Medieval quarter
The Narrow streets of medieval Madrid wind back through the
city's history to its beginnings as an Arab fortress. Madrid's historic
quarters are not so readily apparent as the ancient neighborhoods of
Toledo and Segovia, nor are they so grand. But the traveler who takes
time to explore their quiet, winding alleys gets an impression of the
city that is light-years away from today's traffic-clogged avenues.
Medieval Madrid. Map of Madrid MAP OF MADRID Arab Wall.
The city of Madrid was founded on Calle Cuesta de la Vega at the
ruins of this wall, which protected a fortress built here in the 8th
century by Emir Mohammed I. In addition to being an excellent
defensive position, the site had plentiful water and was called
Mayrit, which is Arabic for "water source" and the likely origin of
the city's name. All that remains of the medina - the old Arab city
that formed within the wall of the fortress - is the neighborhood's
crazy quilt of streets and plazas, which probably follow the same
layout they followed more than 1,100 years ago. The park Emir
Mohammed I, alongside the wall, hosts summertime concert and
plays.
Cava de Sant Miguel.
The narrow, picturesque streets behind the Plaza de la Villa are well
worth exploring. From Calle Mayor, turn onto the Plaza de San Miguel and
continue down Cava de San Miguel. With the Plaza Mayor on your left and
the glass and iron San Miguel market on your right, walk downhill past
the row of ancient tapas bars built right into the retaining wall of the
plaza above. Each one specializes in something different: Meson de
Champiñones has mush-rooms; Meson de Boquerones serves anchovies.....
Madrileños and tourists alike flock here each evening to sample the food
and sing along with raucous musicians, who delight in playing foreign
tunes for tourist.
Costanilla de San Andrés.
This ramped street leads to the heart of old city. To find it, follow
Calle Segovia from the Plaza Puerta Cerada until you reach Plaza Cruz
Verde; then turn left up the ramped street. Halfway up the hill, look
left down the narrow Calle Principe Anglona for a good view of the Mudéjar
tower on the curch of San Pedro el Viejo (St Peter the Elden), one of
the city's oldest. The brick tower is belived to have been built in
Spain in 1354 following the Christian reconquest of Algeciras, in
southern Spain. Notice the tiny defensive slits, designed to accommodate
crossbows.
Cuevals de Sant Louis Candelas.
The oldest of Madrid's taverns, about halfway down Cava San Miguel, is
named for a 19th-century Madrid version of Robin Hood who was famous for
ingenius ways of tricking the rich out of their money and jewels. As
Cava San Miguel becomes Calle Cuchilleros, you'll see Casa Botín on the
left, Madrid's oldest restaurant and favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway.
The curving Cuchilleros was once a moat just outside the city walls. The
plaza with the bright murals at the intersection of Calle Segovia is
called the Puerta Cerrada, or Closed Gate, named for the entrance to the
city that once stood here.
Museo de Sant Isidro. Plaza de San Andrés, 2
Just behind the church of San Andrés is the site of St. Isidro's
most famous miracle, and the new museum houses the original "pozo
milagroso" (miracle well). It is said that when Isidro's infant son
Illán fell into the well one day, Isidro raised the water level so
that his son floated up to top and could be pulled out. - Plaza Sant
Iisdro
Palacio de la Nunciatura - Palace of the Nunciat. THis mansion once housed the Pope's ambassadors to Spain and is now
the official residence of the Archbishop of Madrid. It's near the Plaza
Puerta Cerrada of calle Segovia, one of the main streets of Madrid
during the Middle Ages. Although it's not open to the public, youcan
peek inside the Renaissance garden.
Calle Segovia Calle del Nuncio - Costanilla del Nuncio
Plaza de la Villa. Madrid's town council has met here since the Middle Ages. A
medieval-looking complex, the Plaza is now Calle Mayor and was once
called the Plaza de San Salvador for a church that used to stand
here. The " Casa de los Lujanes " is the oldest building in
the Plaza - it's the one with the Mudéjar tower, on the plaza's east
side. Built as a family home in the late 15th century, it carries
the Lujanes crest over the main doorway. On the east side of the
Plaza is the brick-and-stone " Casa de la Vila ", built in
1929, a classic example of Madrid design with its clean lines and
spire-topped corner towers. Connected by an over head walkway, the "
Casa de Cisneros " was commissioned in 1537 by the nephew of
Cardinal Cisneros. It's one of Madrid's rare examples of flamboyant
plataresque style, which has been likened to splashing water -
liquid exuberance wrought in stone. Calle Mayor.
Plaza de Paja.
At the top of the hill, on Costanillo San Andrés, this is medieval
Madrid's most important square. Although a few upscale restaurants
have moved in, the small plaza retain its own atmosphere. The jewel
is the " Cappilla del Obisbo " (Bishop's Chapel), uilt
between 1520 and 1530; this was where peasants deposited their
tithes, called " diezmas " literally, one-tenth on their crop. The
stacks of wheat on the chapel's ceramic tiles refer to this
tradition. Architecturally, the chapel marks a transition from the
blockish Gothic period (which gave this structure its basic shape)
to the Reinaissance ( which provided the decorations). Try to get
inside to see the intricately carved polychrome altarpiece by
Francisco Giralta, featuring scenes from the life of Christ.
San Nicolás de las Servitas. Church of St. Nicholas of the
Servitas. The church tower is one of the oldest buildings in Madrid, and
there's some debate over whether it once formed part of an Arab mosque.
More likely, it was built after the Christian reconquest of Madrid in
1085, but the brickwork and the horseshoe arches are clear evidence that
it was crafted by either Moorish workers (Mudejar) or Spaniards well
versed in the style. Inside the church, exhibits detail the Islamic
history of early Madrid.
Plaza San Nicolás, 1
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Medieval Madrid. Map of Madrid 
