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La Rabida at Sunset |
By Jo Williams
Seven kilometres south of Huelva city where the
Tinto and Odiel rivers meet is the 15th-century Franciscan Monasterio
de Santa María de la Rábida. If you're interested
in Christopher Columbus, this is one of three places to visit around
Huelva. The other two are the nearby town of Palos de la
Frontera, where Columbus found his crew, and the Convento
de Santa Clara in Moguer, which Columbus frequently visited.
La Rábida is where Columbus stayed between
1491-92 waiting for financial backing from the Catholic Monarchs,
Ferdinand and Isabella, for his voyage to the New World. The
monastery was constructed in 1412 on the site of a Moorish
stronghold; 'rábida' is a Arabic word meaning fortress. Its
Moorish influences can still be seen in its Mudéjar architecture,
including the fine cloister. The monastery has a 14th-century Gothic-Mudéjar
church, where Captain Martín Alonso Pinzón, from Palos
de la Frontera, who sailed with Columbus in one of his ships, is
buried.
La Rábida was damaged by the Lisbon earthquake
in 1755 and was left derelict in 1835 only to be restored a few
decades later. It reopened in 1856 when it was declared a national
monument. In 1920 Fransican monks returned to the convent and monks
continue to live there today.
The monastery, surrounded by magnificent botanical
gardens full of exotic plants, is worth visiting for its museum
detailing the discovery of the New World and Columbus's life. Also
worth seeing are the murals in one of the monastery's rooms that
depict Columbus's life, which were painted by the renowned local
artist Daniel Vásquez Díaz in the 1930s. In the chapel
is an alabaster statue of the Virgen de los Milagros (Virgin of
Miracles), to which Columbus and his crew are said to have prayed.
It is still venerated today, as the patron of neighbouring Palos
de la Frontera. Every August the statue is taken to Palos for the
town's religious festivities. In the Banderas room are flags from
all the Latin American countries, along with a casket of earth from
each.
Visits are by guided tours only by Fransican monks
in Spanish, although there are audio guides available in other languages,
including English, and some of the information plaques are in English
as well as Spanish.
Nearby, on the Río Tinto estuary,
the Muelle de las Carabelas (Harbour of the Caravels)
is a waterfront exhibition with life-size replicas of Columbus's
three ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María,
built for the 500th anniversary celebrations in 1992. The museum
next to the boats has details of Columbus's life, regular video
screenings and a café.
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| The Foro Iberoamericano |
Close to the Muelle is the Monument Plus
Ultra, which commemorates the first transatlantic flight
between Spain and America. Opposite the habour is the Foro Iberamericano,
a modern outdoor venue for summer plays and concerts.
In the park near the monastery is the Monumento
a los Descubridores (Monument for the Discoverers), which
was built in 1892 to commemorate the fourth centenary of the discovery
of America. Also near the monastery is the Iberamericano University.
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