Hi friends,
A few days ago I visited the town of Castro Urdidles, in Cantabria (Spain).
When I was having dinner I came across a beautiful double mural. I say double because one part of the mural was at one end of a small house and the other part as if they were postage stamps was displayed on the other side of the house.
I was delighted to come across this mural because at a glance I was able to see several of the points of interest of this beautiful city which I present to you below.
A fishing port in an incomparable setting
Castro Urdidles is a coastal town on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea.
As a Cantabrian town, it has a charming fishing port and marina. It is a delightful place to stroll around at sunset, watching the boats, people fishing on the jetty or contemplating the colours of the sky in the last hours of sunshine.
On spring and summer evenings, a stroll in the evening is also very comforting, as the hustle and bustle of the city is minimised and it is a delight to listen to the sea breaking against the breakwater.
Cultural Heritage
The cultural heritage of the city is summarized in this part of the mural where the church of Santa María de la Asunción, the castle converted into a lighthouse, the Roman bridge and the hermitage of Santa Ana.
Church of Santa María de la Asunción.
This church can be seen from almost any point in the town of Castro Urdidles.
It is a gothic style church, which like all gothic style temples always catches my attention for its beautiful architecture.
The inhabitants of Castro Urdidles, call it the cathedral of Santa Maria, due to its great size and beauty, but it does not have the category of cathedral as there is no bishopric in the city of Castro Urdidles.
The location of the church is crazy, seeing that it is on the cliff and it amazes me to see how the inhabitants of the thirteenth century decided to build this church in a place so exposed to the sea.
Castle/Lighthouse of Santa Ana
This fortress is located just a few meters from the church of Santa Maria de la Asuncion.
It was also built in the 13th century and like all fortresses near the sea, it was used as an elevated and defensive point of the city against the possibility of maritime invasions.
At present, it acts as a lighthouse. And it can be visited free of charge, allowing from this point to see the city of Castro Urdidles and the beauty it exudes.
Roman Bridge
The Roman bridge of Castro Urdidles, in truth, is not a Roman bridge, since it is believed to have been built in the same centuries as the Castle of Santa Ana.
This bridge has a single pointed arch whose function is to communicate the rocky promontory on which sits the Church of Santa María de la Asunción and the Castle and Lighthouse of Santa Ana with the Hermitage of Santa Ana.
Hermitage of Santa Ana
It is a small square building located on top of a rock and is reached by a cobbled staircase. The entrance to the hermitage is a linteled portico supported by two square pillars.
The whalers
Castro Urdiales as a fishing port was very important in ancient times because large whaling ships sailed from this port and therefore I have found in the city many artistic expressions related to these sailors.
For example, I have come across another urban art mural where you can see an old sailor, in which his deep eyes and marked wrinkles make you feel the hardness of this profession.
Additionally, in another area of the promenade, one can find a large sculpture where one can see a whaler with a harpoon accompanied by his dog in a boat.
Anchovies
Nowadays in Cantabria and Castro Urdidles one of the fishing activities is anchovy fishing.
I have seen this reflected in several urban art murals located in the city.
And it is not surprising that there are a lot of anchovies watching how the sea breaks on the cliffs of this town.
Whale Cemetery
Spinning the history of this city with the whaling ships, it caught my attention to know that there was a cemetery called whale cemetery.
And I was even more surprised to see that it is located on another of the cliffs.
And more surprise I got when I saw certain pantheons of beautiful sculptures like the one where you can see this winged angel with abundant Egyptian symbolism in its surroundings.
Undoubtedly, meeting in my last visit to Castro Urdiales with the mural has made me relive the most important places of Castro Urdiales, which makes me want to return sooner rather than later.
Greetings and good day.