Cádiz is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, with a fascinating history that makes it a must-visit for us! The Greeks and Romans ascribed the foundation of the city to Hercules, but it was actually the Phoenicians from Tyre who founded it in the 7th century BCE (on top of earlier settlements.) Its location made it a perfect trade hub for the Phoenicians. Tyre fell to the Babylonians in 573 BCE, and over the next centuries Cádiz became part of the vast Carthaginian empire. When Carthage came into conflict with Rome, Spain played an important part in the wars. It was from Cádiz that Hannibal set out in 218 with his troops and his elephants to cross the Alps and invade Italy.
During the Second Punic War (218-202), Cádiz fell to the Roman general Scipio Africanus. From that point on, Spanish history became entwined with Rome’s. Thereafter Cádiz fell to the Visigoths in the 400s CE, then the Byzantines, and then finally the Moors in 711. Some five hundred years of Moorish rule followed. Much later, in 1805, the combined Spanish-French fleet sailed from Cádiz to meet Lord Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar.
Cádiz is a spectacular site, with water on nearly all sides. It connects to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. As in Seville, many of the streets are narrow and they often open up into dazzling plazas. In one of these is the museum of Cádiz , a small but very interesting collection. We especially liked the Phoenician and Carthaginian goodies. There are two enormous sarcophagi, and though they are side by side, archaeologists actually discovered them a hundred years apart.
There are three important religious sites in Cádiz, each of which boasts a masterpiece. The first we visited was the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri, built in the baroque style between 1685 and 1719 we mentioned it in an earlier post about Spanish history). This splendid space, in the form of an oval, was the site of the historic gathering of 1812 when Spain brought forth a new liberal constitution. They (temporarily) de-consecrated the building, and curtained off the chapels. Today, the building shows off its Murillo, an Immaculate Conception. (He did about 16 paintings on this theme. This was the last, generally considered his best.) It sits above a highly decorated altar.
Next we went to the Women’s Hospital (Hospital de Mujeres) not far from the oratorio. This is also a baroque building started in the early 18th century. It has two lovely courtyards, and the walls are decorated with tiles. Our main reason for going was to see the El Greco in the chapel there, ‘The Vision of St Francis’. Alas, we saw only a reproduction, since the original is on loan to an exhibition in Milan. Very disappointing, as one of us is a truly committed El Greco fan.
The third building is the Oratoria de la Santa Cueva. Here we found a lower and an upper chapel. The lower, dedicated to the Passion of Christ, contains a sculptural group depicting Christ and the figures from Calvary. Not to our taste, but we did like that the only natural light in the lower chapel falls directly on the group. The upper chapel, dedicated to the Eucharist, is in the neo-classical style. There is much adornment as you would expect: our favourites here were three paintings by Goya, ‘The Guest at the Wedding’, ‘The Miracle of the Loves and Fishes’, and ‘The Last Supper’. The way Goya adapted the figures to the unusual (curved) spaces the paintings occupy is especially impressive.
Finally – it wouldn’t be a visit without food – we found some of our favourites here, with a twist. And we also had the chance to eat mojama, the fantastic salt-cured tuna caught right nearby. .
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