The third postcard received from Spain by me is also from the region of Murcia, but this time from the capital of the region, which bears the same name. The city, located on the Segura River, in the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, was founded in AD 825 by Abd ar-Rahman II, the emir of Cordoba, and remained a Moorish city long time after its conquest by the Christians in the 13th century.
The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary in Murcia (Iglesia Catedral de Santa María en Murcia), located in Plaza Cardenal Belluga, was built between 1394 and 1465 in the Castilian Gothic style (on the remains of a Moorish mosque), but it was truly finished in the 18th century so its interior is Gothic, the facade is Baroque (designed by Jaime Bort) and the bell pavilion exhibits Rococo and Neoclassical influences. The bell tower (in the left of the image), built between 1521 and 1791, is the tallest campanile in Spain (95 meters) and are twenty-five bells, each with its own name.
As Eric says, under the main altar of the cathedral is buried the heart of Alfonso X el Sabio (the Wise), King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death, in 1284. The king loved Murcia for the city's fidelity during the civil war, started because he preferred to leave the throne for the grandsons not for his son, Sancho. Sancho had the support of the nobility and the only cities wich have remained loyal to Alfonso were Seville, Murcia and Badajoz.
About the stamps
Both stamps belong to the set of this year’s Civic Values issued by España Correos on February 18th, which I have spoken here. As a result, I have now three of the four stamps of the set.
sender: Eric Clemente Figueira (direct swap)
sent from Murcia (Murcia / Spain), on 03.11.2011
sent from Murcia (Murcia / Spain), on 03.11.2011
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