Saturday 23 April 2022

At the Coca Castle, in the province of Segovia, in central Spain

 Theodosius I, also called Theodosius the Great, served as Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He was the last emperor to rule the entire Roman Empire before its administration was permanently split between two separate courts (one western, the other eastern).

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(in the province of Segovia, in central Spain) The municipality of Coca is part of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon -- 50 kilometers (~31 mi.) northwest of the provincial capital city of Segovia, and 60 kilometers from Valladolid, the primary seat of government in Castile and León. Castillo de Coca, a 15th-century Mudéjar-style castle in the town, which was also the birthplace of Roman Emperor Theodosius I (in 347 CE).
+ The province of Segovia, in north-central Spain, is bounded by the provinces of Burgos and Soria to the north and northeast, respectively, Guadalajara and Madrid to the southeast, Ávila to the southwest, and Valladolid to the northwest. It is primarily an agricultural tableland, some 762 meters above sea level. The northern watershed of the Sierra de Guadarrama spreads from east to west across the remainder of the province and is quarried for granite, marble, and limestone. Construction, food processing, forestry, and services are the main sources of income. Summer upland resorts are found at El Espinar and San Rafael, but both tourism and industry are largely concentrated in Segovia city.
+ The town of Coca, established during the Roman Empire era, was then called Cauca, and is itself quite historic. Twice taken in treachery by the Romans, the Fonseca family gave it an imposing brick castle, which became a major historical landmark (and several excellent mausoleums are preserved in the church). Since the 19th century the town owes its prosperity to the resin of its pine forests. Coca's extraordinary Moorish castle and the Church of Santa Maria, along with the Puerta de la Villa and stone boars are what visitors must see see while here. Just a few kilometers to the west, lies one of the finest Roman villas and least visited of Spain -- the Almenara-Puras.

+ A typically dusty, inward-looking Castilian village northwest of Segovia city, Coca is presided over by the stunning, all-brick castle (featured here), a virtuoso piece of Gothic-Mudéjar architecture complete with a moat. It has been restored numerous times; serious damage was done to the castle during the French invasion in the early 19th century. The castle is considered by many to be one of the best examples of Spanish Mudejar brickwork that combines Moorish design and construction with Gothic architecture. Coca Castle, locally known as Castillo de Coca, was built by Alonso de Fonseca; the mighty archbishop of Seville, during the reign of King Enrique IV of Castile. It is made up of two square baileys, separated by a passageway. Both show polygonal towers at the corners. (The double walls are 2.5 meters thick -- and are still encircled by the deep, but now dry moat.)


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At the medieval Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom), in the city of Cologne, Germany

 One of the key inland ports of Europe, Cologne (German: Köln) is the historic, cultural, and economic capital of the Rhineland. ===========...