PATIO CHICO

After the conquest of Toledo in 1085, King Alfonso VI promoted the repopulation of the city of Salamanca. In this context, the Cerca Vieja was erected, a walled enclosure covering about 24 hectares with five main gates. Within it, the city was organized into colaciones -neighborhoods linked to parishes- where diverse groups of settlers coexisted, which gave Salamanca a notable cultural diversity.

The consolidation of Salamanca as an episcopal see favored, in the mid-12th century, the start of construction of the Old Cathedral of Salamanca, around which one of the city's most dynamic spaces developed: the Plaza del Azogue, the center of commercial activity. This urban core would gain even greater relevance after the founding, in 1218, of the Estudio General del Reino de León, the germ of the University of Salamanca. During its first two centuries, the institution lacked its own building, so teaching took place in the chapels of the cathedral cloister. However, the progressive growth of the Estudio forced it to expand its activities into properties owned by the chapter located in the streets near the Patio Chico: Law teaching was located on Calle del Arcediano, Grammar on Calle de San Vicente, and Decretals in other nearby dependencies. This dispersion continued until, in 1411, Cardinal Pedro Martínez de Luna ordered the construction of the Escuelas Mayores building, which allowed academic activity to be centralized.

Concurrently, the cathedral surroundings consolidated as a residential area linked to the ecclesiastical and administrative elites, accommodating clerics, notaries, and hidalgos. Next to the Puerta de Acre —which directly connected the cathedral with the Patio Chico— the notarial offices were concentrated, where a substantial part of the city's official documentation was formalized.

This urban landscape, characterized by the density of historical buildings around the Patio Chico, persisted well into the 20th century. However, the progressive deterioration of many of these properties led to their demolition and replacement by modern constructions or landscaped areas, significantly transforming the physiognomy of this historical sector of Salamanca.

In the shadow of the Cathedrals, in the heart of the Old Quarter, lies one of Salamanca's most emblematic corners: the Patio Chico. This space, intimately linked to the city's medieval origins, was the point from which the Old Cathedral began to be built, around which the first medieval urban core was formed.

The Patio Chico is a true haven of peace, away from the hustle and bustle of city traffic. Here, at the foot of the two cathedrals, the coexistence of two worlds is perceived: the Romanesque of the Old Cathedral, and the New Cathedral, whose tall spires seem to want to touch the sky.

The Old Cathedral stands out for its three Romanesque apses, impeccably crafted, with impost lines decorated with checkerboard patterns and beautiful splayed windows. But the gaze inevitably turns towards the Torre del Gallo (Rooster Tower), the Byzantine-inspired dome crowned by the famous weather vane in the shape of a rooster, one of the city's most beloved symbols. To its right, one of the doors of the New Cathedral opens, giving access to the transept, next to the neoclassical sacristy.

The streets surrounding this space evoke figures linked to Salmantine literature and history. From Patio Chico departs Calle del Arcediano, which leads to one of the city's most beautiful gardens: the Huerto de Calixto y Melibea, the literary setting of La Celestina. The street's name, already cited in the work, comes from a medieval dwelling that existed on the site of the current garden and was demolished in 1862. It belonged to Diego López, archdeacon of Ledesma, whose Gothic sepulchre is preserved in the transept of the Old Cathedral. Later it passed to the Chapter and was the residence, among others, of Bishop Alfonso de Paradinas. In 1981, the space passed into municipal hands and became a public garden.

In the same small square providing access to the garden is the Casa de la Calera, today converted into a hostel for pilgrims on the Way of Saint James.

Retracing our steps, from the Plaza de los Leones one gets one of the best panoramic views of the cathedral complex. Before us centuries of history unfold: the Romanesque apses of the Old Cathedral, the Torre del Gallo, the bell tower with its Baroque dome and, to the right, the imposing New Cathedral, crowned by its neoclassical dome, which replaced the Baroque one designed by Joaquín de Churriguera after the damage caused by the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.

Wandering through the streets, we find Calle de San Vicente Ferrer —the famous Dominican preacher who passed through Salamanca in 1412— and Calle de Doyagüe, dedicated to the Salmantine composer Manuel José Doyagüe, one of the most prominent musical figures of the 18th century. He was a Professor of Music at the University, master of the Cathedral's Music Chapel, and received the honorary title of Master of the Royal Conservatory of Music from the king. His sepulchre is in the Chapel of Santa Catalina in the Old Cathedral.

Very close by, on Carvajal hill —formerly called Buenaventura— is the famous Cueva de Salamanca (Cave of Salamanca), an old crypt of the Romanesque church of San Cipriano, where tradition and literature placed the legend of the place where the devil taught necromancy classes.