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PALENCIA

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Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 598 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PALENCIA , an episcopal See also:

city, and the See also:capital of the See also:Spanish See also:province of Palencia; on the See also:left See also:bank of the See also:river Carrion, on the See also:Canal de Castilla, at the junction of See also:railways from See also:Leon and See also:Santander, and 7 M. N. by W. of Venta de Banos on the See also:Madrid-See also:Irun See also:line. Pop. (Igloo), 15,940. Palencia is built in the midst of the level plains called the Tierra de See also:Campos, 2690 ft. above See also:sea-level. Three See also:bridges across the Carrion afford See also:access to the See also:modern suburbs on the right bank. The older and by far the more important See also:part of the city is protected on the See also:west by the river; on the other sides the old machicolated walls, 36 ft. high by 9 ft. in thickness, are in fairly See also:good preservation, and beautified by alamedas or promenades, which were laid out in 1778. The See also:cathedral was begun in 1321, finished in 1504, and dedicated to St Antolin; it is a large See also:building in the later and florid See also:Gothic See also:style of See also:Spain. The site was previously occupied by a See also:church erected by Sancho III. of See also:Navarre and See also:Castile (1026—1035) over the See also:cave of St Antolin, which is still shown. The cathedral contains some valuable paintings, old Flemish See also:tapestry, and beautiful carved woodwork and stonework. The church of See also:San See also:Miguel is a good and fairly well-preserved example of 13th-See also:century See also:work; that of San Francisco, of the same date, is inferior and has suffered more from modernization. The See also:hospital of San Lazaro is said to date in part from the See also:time of the See also:Cid (q.v.), who here married Ximena in 1074.

Much has been done for See also:

education. Palencia has also hospitals, a foundling See also:refuge, See also:barracks and a See also:bull-See also:ring. See also:Local See also:industries include See also:iron-See also:founding, and the making of rugs, See also:alcohol, See also:leather, See also:soap, See also:porcelain, See also:linen, See also:cotton, See also:wool, machinery and matches. Palencia, the Pallantia of See also:Strabo and See also:Ptolemy, was the See also:chief See also:town of the Vaccaei. Its See also:history during the Gothic and Moorish periods is obscure; but it was a Castilian town of some importance in the 12th and 13th centuries. The university founded here in 1208 by See also:Alphonso IX. was removed in 1239 to See also:Salamanca.

End of Article: PALENCIA

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