馃嚜馃嚫 |ESPA脩OL|
What was the city like when Pierres Vedel arrived in Teruel in the sixteenth century? Reconstructing the urban landscape of that period is relatively straightforward, as the historic centre of Teruel has undergone remarkably few transformations since then. Even if we look several centuries further back, the basic structure of the city remains easily recognisable.
Teruel stood upon a plateau more than nine hundred metres above sea level, just downstream from the confluence of the Guadalaviar and Alfambra rivers. Its location provided an excellent natural defence: the urban perimeter was surrounded by ravines and steep slopes on almost every side, with the exception of the area known as La Nevera, the only point through which the city maintained relatively easy access to the suburb known as the Arrabal.
The oldest part of the city developed around the original fortress located in the area later occupied by the Jewish quarter. Here, the streets followed a radial pattern, resembling a spider’s web, descending from the highest point towards the urban centre. Further south, the layout became progressively more regular, with parallel streets facilitating movement throughout the town. The most recent expansion extended towards the north-western sector of the walled enclosure, following a more orderly grid-like plan.
The principal urban axis crossed the city from the Tozal district to the Church of San Salvador, passing through the Market Square—today’s Plaza del Torico—which served as the true heart of Teruel’s economic and social life.
The entire city was protected by a substantial defensive wall punctuated by towers, several of which still survive today, including the Lombardera, Rinc贸n, Ambeles and San Esteban towers. Access to the city was controlled through a series of gates and posterns. Among the most important were the Zaragoza Gate, located at the end of Tozal Street; the Guadalaviar Gate, at the lower end of San Salvador Street, providing access to the river; and the Valencia Gate, situated near the present-day Plaza de San Juan. Of all these entrances, only two medieval gateways have survived to the present day: the Andaquilla (or Daroca) Gate and the Traici贸n (or San Miguel) Gate.
For defensive reasons, no buildings were allowed immediately adjacent to the city walls, either inside or outside the enclosure. Beyond the walls, to the northeast, lay the suburb of the Arrabal, which developed along the ridge separating the Oller铆as and San Juli谩n ravines. A broad open area between the suburb and the city walls facilitated the defence of the town. There also remained several older settlements, predating the foundation of Teruel itself, situated on the slopes stretching from El Carrel to Capuchinos. These areas contained numerous caves excavated into the limestone and conglomerate formations of the hillside.
By the time Vedel arrived in Teruel, the city's Mud茅jar towers had already become an inseparable part of its urban landscape. Built two or three centuries earlier, they were among the most distinctive features of the city. Vedel himself would later be responsible for one of the most celebrated interventions carried out on these monuments when he replaced one of the supporting legs of the Tower of San Mart铆n, whose structural stability had become seriously compromised.
He would also have seen the Gothic Church of Saint Francis, built outside the city walls, as well as the Church of Saint Peter and its Gothic-Mud茅jar apse. Vedel's years in Teruel coincided with the construction of the magnificent dome (cimborrio) of Santa Mar铆a de Mediavilla and with the work being undertaken by his compatriot Gabriel Joly on the church's main altarpiece—two of the most important artistic enterprises of the period.