SAN VICENTE NEIGHBORHOOD
1 hourIn this area, very close to the Plaza Mayor, you can find interesting buildings that continue to show the monumentality of the city. Some of them belong to the University of Salamanca, such as the Colegio Mayor Fonseca, known as the Irish College, and the extensive Archaeological Park of San Vicente Hill, where the origin of the city is located.
To the west, San Francisco Park, Úrsulas Street, the Vera Cruz church concluding at the Monterrey Palace and La Purísima church, complete the tour through quiet squares and streets, where a stroll allows you to contemplate impressive views of the city.
La Cuesta de la Independencia (Independence Slope) recalls the French presence at the beginning of the 19th century, from which an impressive view of the city's towers can be appreciated, highlighting the Royal Clergy of San Marcos and Salamanca Cathedral.
This part of the city was, during the 16th century, with the rise of the University, a point of attraction for religious orders and colleges that occupied the upper part of San Vicente Hill and its surroundings. Convents, major colleges, and study houses transformed the area into a space full of intellectual and spiritual activity. History took another turn in the 19th century with the Peninsular War (Guerra de la Independencia) and the disentailments (desamortizaciones) razed many of those buildings, leaving the neighborhood in ruins. On those remains, at the end of the 19th century, a humble population settled, building their houses with available materials, giving rise to the San Vicente–Los Milagros neighborhood.
The definitive recovery arrived in the 20th century, with the construction of the Congress Palace, the excavation of the prehistoric site, and an urban renewal plan that restored the hill to its prominence. Today, San Vicente is a central, modern, and history-rich neighborhood, where the most remote past coexists with modernity.
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The historical origin of Salamanca is located in the San Vicente neighborhood. At its southern end rises the Cerro de San Vicente (San Vicente Hill), a promontory that overlooks the Tormes River from about 30 meters high. This enclave houses the city's first known occupation: a First Iron Age settlement linked to the Soto de Medinilla culture of the Meseta. Although there are indications of earlier occupations, the recovered remains confirm a continuous presence between the 8th and 4th centuries BC. After this last date, the population moved to the Teso de las Catedrales (Cathedrals' Mound), where the castro (hill fort) of Salmántica developed.
The hill remained uninhabited until, at an undetermined point in the Middle Ages, a monastery was established there. Preserved documentation indicates that, from 1143, it became a priory dependent on the Cluny Abbey.
The territory between the San Vicente monastery and the area known as Peñuelas de San Blas constituted a marginal space of the city during the Middle Ages. It lay outside the first walled enclosure and was separated from the urban core by the Milagros stream. When the Cerca Nueva (New Wall) was built at the end of the 12th century, this sector was integrated into the city, although its peripheral character and the ruggedness of the terrain hindered repopulation, despite the presence of several parishes and hermitages. Faced with these difficulties, King Alfonso IX handed over the territory to the San Vicente monastery with the task of repopulating it, a mission that did not materialize until the late 15th century.
The situation changed radically in the 16th century. The boom in university life attracted numerous religious orders and educational institutions, which began to settle on the hill. From the southern end of Cerro de San Vicente to the San Francisco convent, the convents of San Vicente, La Penitencia, and Santa Ana were erected; the university colleges of La Magdalena and Fonseca; the Jesuit college and the San Patricio de Nobles Irlandeses (Saint Patrick of Noble Irish) college.
Most of these buildings were destroyed in the 19th century during the Peninsular War and subsequent disentailment processes, which left the neighborhood semi-deserted and covered in ruins. It then became known as Los Caídos (The Fallen). In the late 19th century, the hill was occupied by a very humble population who built their homes using the remains of the old monuments, giving rise to the San Vicente–Los Milagros neighborhood, the poorest in the city.
At the end of the 20th century, the construction of the Palacio de Congresos (Convention Center), the discovery of the prehistoric site, and the subsequent development of the Cerro de San Vicente Master Plan transformed this area of the city once again. Today it constitutes a central, modern neighborhood fully integrated into the city.
1. San Francisco Park
San Francisco Park was created in the 18th century on an old wasteland in front of the vanished convent of San Francisco el Real. Its centuries-old trees, fountains, and sculptures—like the one dedicated to Saint Francis, a work by Venancio Blanco—make it a perfect place to begin the tour. This space invites leisurely walking, just as Miguel de Unamuno did, who lived very close by and made it one of his favorite spots.
As you stroll, observe its fountains, stone benches, and green areas. If you visit Salamanca in January, you might coincide with the endearing blessing of animals performed by the Capuchin fathers for San Antón, a tradition much beloved by the people of Salamanca.
2. Capuchin Church
Opposite San Francisco Park, halfway up Ramón y Cajal slope, stands the Chapel of the Third Order of Saint Francis, popularly known as the Capuchin Church. This Baroque temple was designed by Andrés García de Quiñones in the mid-18th century. It was built over the northern apse of the church of the convent of San Francisco el Real. Although the convent was destroyed in the 19th century, the chapel of the Franciscan tertiaries managed to survive the Peninsular War and the Desamortización (Confiscation). In the late 19th century, it was ceded to the Capuchin community, who built their new convent here. Inside, remains of the apse of the old church of San Francisco el Real are still preserved.
3. Fonseca College
The Archbishop Fonseca College was founded by Alonso de Fonseca, Archbishop of Santiago and Toledo, a former student of the University of Salamanca and a prominent Renaissance patron. Construction began in 1521 under the direction of some of the most notable architects of the time, such as Diego de Siloé, Juan de Álava, Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, and Alonso de Covarrubias.
The building is one of the jewels of the Spanish Renaissance. Highlights include its facade presided over by the medallion of Santiago in the Battle of Clavijo, the chapel with an altarpiece by Alonso de Berruguete, and the elegant Renaissance courtyard. In the 19th century, the college hosted Irish clerics, who resided there until 1936, which is why it is also known as the College of the Irish.
4. San Blas Parish Church
Built in the 13th century in an old suburb, the church of San Blas underwent reconstructions, war damage, and a long period of abandonment that led it to become even a charcoal store in the 20th century. After its restoration in the 1980s, the building was transformed into a municipal auditorium.
Salamancan tradition attributes a singular episode to this temple: it is said that Saint John of Sahagún delivered his last sermon there shortly before his death in 1479. According to popular lore, the saint was allegedly poisoned by a noblewoman known as Marquesa Isabel, spurned because her lover had abandoned his dissolute life after hearing the friar's preaching.
5. Irish Viewpoint
The Mirador de los Irlandeses (Irish Viewpoint) owes its name to the historic Colegio de los Irlandeses (College of the Irish), founded in 1592 to host and educate young Irish Catholics fleeing religious persecution. Its students, dressed in black cassocks and red becas (sashes), were popularly known as the “pavitos” (little turkeys).
Today, this viewpoint is part of the Salamanca Viewpoints Route and offers one of the most impressive panoramic views of the historic center, with the domes and towers of La Purísima, La Clerecía, and the Cathedral dominating the horizon. From here, you can also see the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Castilla y León (Castile and León Congress and Exhibition Palace), next to which is the sculpture dedicated to the flamenco singer Rafael Farina.
At sunset, the sunlight dyes the Villamayor stone with a reddish hue, creating a magical atmosphere, and at night, this viewpoint becomes a privileged balcony to admire the illuminated city.
San Vicente Hill and San Vicente Hill Viewpoint.
The origin of Salamanca is found in this place. Archaeological excavations carried out for over three decades have made it possible to identify the remains of a First Iron Age settlement, linked to the Meseta culture of Soto de Medinilla. Additionally, the remains of the Benedictine convent that existed on the hill until the 19th century, when it was destroyed during the Peninsular War, have been excavated and musealized.
Its position on an elevated hill, separated from the Teso de las Catedrales (Cathedrals' Mound) by the Vaguada de la Palma, makes this place a unique viewpoint for contemplating the historic center. The enclave has been included in the Salamanca Viewpoints Route and offers one of the most impressive views of the urban landscape. From this privileged spot, the gaze sweeps across the imposing domes and towers of the Church of La Purísima, La Clerecía, and the Cathedral, which rise majestically above the city's skyline.