Alcalá de Henares Ciudad Patrimonio de la Humanidad

The Roman Complutum, which used to be Celtiberian, had two young martyrs (Justo and Pastor) in the times of Emperor Diocletian. The first church, now full of titles, was built over their tombs with the objective of venerating them: “Santa Iglesia Catedral Magistral de los Santos Justo y Pastor”. The city would grow around about it.
It experienced the presence of the Goths but when the Arabs

conquered it, it was turned into a fort on a border pounded by El Cid’s armies. It became a Christian town in 1118, when Bernardo de Sedirac, archbishop of Toledo, captured it. He and his successors –between the 12th and 19th centuries- were the lords of the town (a city as of 1687) by order of King Alfonso VII.

Fachada Universidad de Alcalá de Henares

This explains the prominent role of its Archbishop’s Palace, where councils were held, the monarchs of Castile passed laws, such as the code of Alcalá in 1348, and Isabella the Catholic met Christopher Columbus in 1486 to find out about his desire to discover new worlds.

In 1499, Cardenal Cisneros, thanks to Pope Alexander VI’s bulls, created its University, which would transform the city and, to a large extent, the men of the 16th century.

The University of Alcalá de Henares would play an important role in the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age. Its first building, called “Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso” (which now houses the vice-chancellor’s office), gave rise to numerous minor colleges (as many as 40) –convents, monasteries and churches- turning the city into a beacon of intelligence and knowledge that would illuminate the new times in a world of extended horizons.

And should Alcalá de Henares lack in nobility –which is not the case- it is worth remembering that Miguel de Cervantes was born (in 1547) and spent the first years of his life here. His birthplace, a magnificent example of a 16th-century Castilian house, now contains a museum featuring a magnificent collection of Cervantes’ books.

Visitors should tour its long, arcaded main street called Calle Mayor, with its two-floor houses made of brick, wood and stone; trace the steps of the student Ignacio de Loyola and of Juan de Ruiz, archpriest of Hita; admire the zeal which has preserved and restored for academic use the “Colegio Máximo de la Compañía de Jesús” (Law Faculty), “Colegio de Málaga” (History and Humanities Faculty), “Colegio de Caracciolos” (Philology Faculty), “Colegio de Mínimos” (Economics Faculty) and “Colegio de Trinitarios Descalzos” (university institutes). Breath in the spiritual atmosphere of its convents, which number eight and cloister the silence of Augustinian, Franciscan, Carmelite, Conceptionist, Dominican… nuns.

Admire the exalted baroque style in the Monastery of San Bernardo. Enjoy a stroll around its spacious Plaza de Cervantes, with a monument to the author of El Quixote, bandstand and nearby “Corral de Comedias”, the oldest open-air theatre in Europe.

Visit the Crafts Centre, which houses the artisans that have inherited the renowned skills that made Alcalá de Henares famous, especially its pottery. And discover the tastes that Don Quixote did not make much use of and of which its author was an excellent chronicler; the range of gastronomy could not be more genuine.

Alcalá de Henares City Council. Concejalía de Turismo
Plaza de Cervantes, 11
28801 – Alcalá de Henares, Madrid
Tel.: +34 918 772 070
Fax: +34 918 797 743

alcala@ciudadespatrimonio.org
cturismo@ayto-alcaladehenares.es
www.turismoalcala.com
www.ayto-alcaladehenares.es
city map
distances in km.


© World Heritage Cities Group, 2010 Desarrollo y programación: Soluciones IP