Valencia. From an unknown future to a mysterious past
During our trip to Spain, I was impressed by another city, and I remember that it was divided into two different time periods in one day. These were traditionally the Old City with its cathedrals, narrow streets, ancient fountains and a light flair of the Middle Ages, and the New City of Science and Arts, which is the complete opposite of the first in its scale, in its temporal style, and in its grandeur of architectural thought. Probably, this contrast was the factor that the city crashed into memory more than others.
Let's start with the future.
City of Arts and Sciences - is a grandiose large-scale complex, recently built by the contemporary architect Santiago Calatrava. The complex was conceived as a cultural and educational center that works in the field of scientific exchange and cultural enrichment.
Various large-scale events for citizens and guests of the city are constantly held here.
All objects have a futuristic look and look like "we are from the future. "
The infrastructure of the city is quite extensive and occupies a decent area, so if you are too lazy to walk, you can book a tour and ride on a beautiful white train. And in order not to be bored while traveling, you can take with you a delicious drink made from almond milk “horchata”, which is also sold here.
The largest facility, as well as the largest cinema hall in Spain, is the stage cinema - Emisfericwith IMAX technologies, 3D and digital projection. Under its dome is a large sphere containing a projection room,
the screen has a concave structure with a size of 900 square meters. meters.
Another building has a very unusual shape and represents a whole structural composition. ThisReina Sofia Palace of Arts.
The building has four main theater venues: the Main Hall is designed for opera and ballet, the Maestro Hall is specially designed for live performances of small groups and the Martin and Soler Theater for theatrical performances and performances.
We drove around the Palace several times, it is all surrounded by gardens and ponds, and I wanted to jump off the train, because it would be very nice to take a walk here.
The modern city was built in the drained bed of the Turia River, and now it is surrounded by streams and pools, and even viaducts have been built, reminiscent of ancient Roman ones.
In the park you can find huge sculptures, for example, we met Don Quixote, who lay down to rest from the Spanish heat in the shade of the trees of the children's park.
And this is the so-called evolutionary center - Prince Felipe Science Museum. The Center carries out an educational mission in an interactive way. The main goal of the museum is to entertain the public with amazing experiments, trying to develop scientific thinking. And all this under the slogan "It is forbidden not to touch, not to feel, not to think. " This museum is now the most visited science center in the country and a world leader in interactive sciences.
Moving on:
We see a peculiar futuristic garden - Umbracle. This is a huge gallery where about five thousand different Mediterranean and tropical plants are located and grow.
The gallery has a garden of contemporary sculptures and an "Astronomy Garden" with many interesting interactive exhibits.
And the largest oceanarium in Europe - Oceanographic Park. It features about 50.000 animals kept in nine two-level aquariums in the form of towers. There is also a dolphinarium, mangroves and swamps and an interesting tropical garden (photo from the Internet).
If you have time, of course, you need to buy a ticket,
at least in one of these museums of the future, well, for example, in the Museum of Science or the Oceanarium, or the Garden Gallery. It is not necessary to buy a complex ticket, you can visit any of the more interesting places. To do this, you need to allocate a whole day to the modern city of Valencia. We only had half of it (of the day, I mean), and the second half was planned for the so-called Old Town, so then we went to see the traditional Valencia. BUT! I strongly recommend to everyone, being in Valencia, not to ignore this grandiose futuristic object!
The road to the so-called Old Town leads us through the medieval fortress gates, built in the distant 14th century and serving as a prison for four centuries, with the towers of Torres and Serranos.
The historic heart of Valencia is Saint Virgin Square, reflecting the centuries-old history of this city, starting from its very foundation, i. e. from the era of Ancient Rome. In the very center of the square there is a fountain symbolizing the Turia River with numerous channels.
Valencia is the capital of the province of the same name, and not many people know that, just like the neighboring Basques, Valencians do not consider themselves Spaniards, well, in the sense of Castilians, but proudly call themselves Valencians and speak here by no means in Spanish, but in Valencian language, the teaching of which in schools is compulsory. It should be noted that the Valencians are really very different from their fellow Spaniards, they are more restrained, laconic, I would even say more cultured, proud and independent. And they respect their flag very much,
which, along with the flags of Spain and the European Union, is flying on all administrative buildings.
Here, on the square of the Holy Virgin, there is an architectural miracle and an icon of Christianity - The Cathedral of St. Mary. This is the main temple of Valencia and the symbol of the city. Its history dates back 2000 years, starting with the Roman temple of the Goddess of Fertility Diana, later owned by the Visigoths, and later razed to the ground by the Arabs, who built their mosque on its ruins. But the reconquista began, the Spaniards came and swept away the Muslim shrine, laying the Cathedral of St. Mary (Catedral de Santa Maria de Valencia) on its foundation in 1262.
Since the construction of the cathedral continued until the 18th century, there was a complete mixture and layering of styles in its architecture - from Gothic to Baroque and Neoclassicism, which in no way disfigures the main temple,
but on the contrary gives it a unique charm and crashes into memory.
From the square of the Holy Virgin, you can enter the temple through the Apostolic Gate, so named because of the sculptures of the twelve apostles located at the entrance.
However, the main gate of the temple is the Iron Gate, through which those who wish can enter the temple from Queen's Square.
The cathedral itself is built in the shape of a cross, and yet the gothic style dominates here, but as I said, other architectural styles are also present here. I can briefly characterize its interior decoration - brilliance, luxury, grandeur and beauty.
In the center is the main altar, formed from six panels with amazingly beautiful Renaissance frescoes:
The altar is painted on both sides:
There is a kind of gallery along the walls of the cathedral, moving along which visitors can freely move around the chapels without interfering with the service.
Behind the altar is the Chapel of the Resurrection, illustrating the Resurrection of Jesus.
And under the bas-relief, one of the relics of the Christian world is kept - the incorruptible hand of St. Vincent of Saragossa, the patron saint of Valencia, who was martyred on the orders of the Roman emperor Diocletian, known to us for his persecution of Christians.
There are many sculptures inside the cathedral, including the Mother of God:
Here you can see colorful paintings,
created by artists of the Middle Ages, including Goya, Selini and other representatives of the Valencian school.
And admire the graceful organ:
And yet, most tourists seek to get into the cathedral not at all in order to admire the variety of architectural styles, but for the cultural treasures stored under its vaults.
One of the cathedral's greatest treasures is the unique Cup called the Holy Grail. It is kept in the chapel of the Cathedral of Santo Caliz. According to legend, it was from her that Jesus received communion at the Last Supper on the eve of the crucifixion.
According to the legend,
after the crucifixion of Christ, the apostle Peter brought the cup to Rome, where it was kept for many centuries of the reign of the first 23 popes. And only in the 3rd century AD. e. The Holy Grail was transported to Spain in the province of Aragon. But after the invasion of the Spanish lands of the Moors, the goblet was hidden for many years in the caves of the Spanish and French mountains, and after the reconquista it traveled for a long time to the Spanish and French cathedrals and monasteries, and only in 1916 did it again end up in the Cathedral of Valencia, where and is still kept.
These are the adventures experienced by this Christian shrine.
An attractive object in the architecture of the cathedral is an octagonal Gothic tower with lancet windows with Arabic script.
And next to the main entrance is the cathedral tower Micalet,
made in baroque style with a bell tower. Inside the bell tower there is a spiral staircase leading to the terrace, which offers amazing views of all of Valencia. But keep in mind that the stairs are very narrow, and it is said that climbing it is extremely difficult, even more difficult than climbing to the roof in St. Peter's, although there are only 203 steps.
In general, the amazing and mysterious Cathedral made an indelible impression on us, taking us on a "time machine" from an unknown future to a mysterious past.
Valencians, however, like all Spaniards, very much honor all Christian holidays. The Feast of the Body of Christ is considered special. According to tradition, a procession with monumental carts moving through the city, reflecting events from the life of Christianity. There are 11 carts in total and you can see them in the Casa de Las Rocas museum.
And finally, we were able to devote some of our time to the present and see how Valencia lives today.
Regular streets and squares:
Interesting houses - terraces with flower beds:
As in all of Europe, cycling is very popular:
And fragrant orange and lemon trees everywhere:
In the evening it began to rain and we decided to go to the coast to sit in a cozy cafe on the seashore and relax and realize what we saw while contemplating the waves. But such a heavy downpour began,
that we sat in the cafe almost until night, and from there we already went to the place of our overnight stay at the hotel. I remember exactly that the hotel was excellent, it was called Olympia and Spa 4 *. But where the photos of the rain went is a mystery. Photos of the hotel have been preserved, but for some reason only a photo of the room. In general, if you are in Valencia, I can advise this hotel, it is really credited.
This is such a different Valencia in one day, but for some reason this particular day stuck in my memory and was remembered more than others.
