Guadalajara, Spain

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Guadalajara, Spain

“I have seen dawn and sunset on moors and windy hills coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of Spain.” – John Edward Masefield

The Rich History of Spain

Guadalajara is located in Castilla–La Mancha not far from Madrid straddling the Henares River. It the region’s second most populated municipality. It is home to one of the oldest monasteries in Spain – the Romanesque Monastery of Cister of Monsalud, and also features one of the most amazing mausoleoums in Europe, the Pantheon of the Condesa de la Vega del Pozo.

Pantheon of the Duchess of Sevillano

The Pantheon of the Countess of Vega del Pozo, the Duchess of Sevillano, was built between 1882 and 1916 by the Duchess of Sevillano. The duchess commissioned famous Burgos architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco to build the Pantheon and it is one of the city’s main landmarks. It was built in honor of her family and relatives, however when she was laid to rest she had no descendants.

The building has a Greek cross plan and is divided into two floors, the upper one contains a false crypt and the lower floor contains the actual crypt which also stands above ground. The exterior of the building houses a dome on its roof that is covered with metallic scales made by ceramist Daniel Zuloaga, a member of an illustrious family of Spanish artists which included Ignacio Zuloaga. It is inspired by elements of eastern and western art that give it a Byzantine feel, and it stands out as one of the best architectural creations of the late 19th century.

Ancient guard house at Monastery of Monsalud

Monastery of Santa Maria de Monsalud Aerial

Photographing Guadalajara

The thrill of shooting the Pantheon of the Duchess of Sevillano was only surpassed by the private tour of the majestic toomb located in the interior of the building, where photographs are not allowed. We were also able to get some drone shots of the exterior and roof during the day which came out quite well.

A 45 minute drive then took us to the Monastary of Monsalud in Córcoles which is as beautiful as it is old. It was one of the most important Monastaries of the Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula andtThe first reliable document where it appears dates from 1167.