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SEGOVIA

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Originally appearing in Volume V24, Page 583 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SEGOVIA , the See also:

capital of the See also:Spanish See also:province of Segovia; on the railway from See also:Madrid to See also:Valladolid and See also:Zamora. Pop. (1900) 14,547. Segovia is built upon a narrow See also:ridge of See also:rock which rises in the valley of the Eresma, where this See also:river is joined by its turbulent tributary the Clamores. It is an episcopal see in the archbishopric of Valladolid. Founded originally as a See also:Roman See also:pleasure resort, it became in the See also:middle ages a See also:great religious centre and seat of the Castilian See also:court; it was surrounded by See also:Alphonso VI. with the walls and towers which still give to it, even in their See also:dilapidation, the See also:air of a military stronghold. The streets are steep, irregular and narrow, and are lined with See also:quaint old-fashioned houses, built for the most See also:part of See also:granite from the neighbouring Sierra Guadarrama. The See also:place teems with records and monuments of the many vicissitudes of See also:fortune and See also:art through which it has passed, foremost among the latter being the See also:ancient alcazar or citadel, the See also:cathedral, the See also:aqueduct of See also:Trajan, and a notable See also:array of churches and other ecclesiastical edifices. The alcazar is perched upon the western tip of the See also:long See also:tongue of rock upon which the See also:city is built. Of the See also:original See also:medieval fortress but little remains See also:save the See also:noble See also:facade—the See also:building having been wantonly fired in 1862 by the students of the See also:artillery school then domiciled within its walls, and all but destroyed. The See also:work is Gotho-Moorish, with an admixture of See also:Renaissance in the decoration. The 16th-See also:century cathedral (1521-1577), the work of Juan Gil de.

Ontaiion and his son Rodrigo, occupies the site of a former See also:

church of the 11th century, of which the See also:present cloisters, rebuilt in 1524, formed part. It is a well-proportioned and delicate piece of See also:Late See also:Gothic—the latest of its See also:kind in See also:Spain—and contains some very See also:fine stained See also:glass. The most remarkable of the many other churches are those of La See also:Vera Cruz (Knights Tem See also:lar, Romanesque of the See also:early 13th century), See also:San Milian and San Juan (both Romanesque of second See also:half of 13th century), El Parral (Gothic of early 16th century), and Corpus Christi, an ancient Jewish See also:sanctuary and an interesting specimen of Moorish work. The towers and See also:external cloistering, or corredores, of several of the later churches—especially those of San Esteban and San See also:Martin—are fine. The great aqueduct, however, called El Puente del Diablo, usually ranks as the See also:glory of Segovia, and is remarkable alike for its See also:colossal proportions, its See also:history, its picturesqueness, and the art with which it is put together. Erected or rebuilt, according to fairly See also:trust-worthy tradition, in the See also:time of the See also:emperor Trajan (c. A.D. 53–117), and several times barely escaping destruction, it is now in perfect working See also:order, bringing the See also:waters of the Rio Frio down from the Sierra Fuenfria, to m. S. The See also:bridge portion striding across the valley into the city is 847 yds. long, and consists of a See also:double tier of superimposed See also:arches, built of rough-hewn granite blocks, laid without See also:lime or See also:cement. (For See also:illustration, see AQUEDUCT.) Segovia lost its ancient prosperity when it was taken and sacked by the See also:French in 18o8. Since then, however, suburbs have sprung up on all sides, outside the walls.

The woollen See also:

industry decayed, but its place was taken by See also:dyeing, See also:iron-See also:founding, and manufactures of See also:paper, See also:flour, earthenware, and coarse See also:porcelain. Segovia has a botanical See also:garden, a museum and picture See also:gallery, a savings See also:bank, two public See also:libraries, and -two remarkable collections of archives. Public See also:education is provided by an See also:institute, a dozen See also:primary See also:schools, a school for teachers, and schools of art and handicrafts. The royal artillery school of Spain is also established here.

End of Article: SEGOVIA

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