In the picturesque province of La Rioja in Spain, there is a small city that has a melodic name – Logrono. This city has become famous as the region’s wine capital. A settlement on the popular pilgrimage path in the past, Logrono has turned into a magnificent tourist destination that equally attracts foreign and domestic guests. Many visitors arrive in this city for the sake of seeing local churches and the main cathedral of Logrono that have honorable age. Besides sightseeing and exploring historic attractions, tourists enjoy sampling local wine. There are wineries in the vicinity of the city that are renowned for the exceptional taste of the wine that they produce.
If we head to the past of Logrono, we will find ourselves in a Roman settlement called Vareia. For centuries, the settlement was developing and growing in size, turning into one of the major centers of trade. In the 10th century, the king of Navarre engaged in a fight with the ruler of Castile for the right to own this land. After a long and exhausting fight, Castile rulers became the winners. In 1095, King Alfonso VI published a new set of rules that formalized laws for all cities and provinces of Spain.
The Co-cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda is the symbol of the Spanish city. This is also the main religious attraction of the region. Nowadays, guests of the hospitable Spanish city are welcome to visit the gorgeous historic shrine and see works of the famous Belgian painter who was working in Logrono in the sixteenth century. The church is decorated with beautifully made images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Besides them, there are drawings of local saints and numerous scenes that illustrate the life and deeds of Saint Francis.
This co-cathedral has gained worldwide recognition for its architecture. Over the years, it has got the right to be an episcopacy center. Numerous tourists visit Logrono to see marvelous paintings and sculptures in the Co-cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda. These are true masterpieces of the 15th-17th centuries. A beautiful oval alcove with Christian sculptures decorates the main entrance to the church. Six centuries after the construction, the cathedral got a central part with eight cylindrical columns in the Flemish Gothic style, several chapels, and twin towers.
The church built as an addition to the Chapel of Virgin Mary is one more scared place in Logrono that is worth visiting. It is situated not far from the emperor’s palace, the place where King Alfonso VII lived. It took a century to build the sacred shrine. The construction works started in the 12th century. Several years later, the church was expanded by adding new parts of the building. The church underwent a global reconstruction in the 18th century.
Nowadays, the holy building is home to fabulous sculpture compositions of Santa Maria la Antigua in the Roman style and Blessed Virgin Mary in the Flemish style. The central part of the church has become “home” to the statues of the saints that are very popular in the city – Saint Barnabas and Saint Matthew. The latter has been the patron saint of Logrono for centuries. The outer décor of the church has one really eye-catching element – the hexagonal spire that was added to the church in the eighteenth century. When taking a stroll in the city, tourists can see this spire from any part of Logrono.
Are you interested in modern art? There is an interesting thematic museum in the suburbs of Logrono. It was founded by a German person Reinhold Würth. The museum is named after him. The museum’s building is made of glass and looks nothing but impressive. The opening of the Reinhold Wurth Museum took place in 2007. Since that time, the venue has been attracting thousands of modern at connoisseurs from different parts of the world. The collection features the works of many talented Spanish masters and thousands of artworks. Gravures, paintings, sculptures, photographs – all of them are from the private collection of the founder. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions of talented masters.
There is an airport in Logrono that, however, accommodates only domestic flights from other Spanish cities including the capital of the country and Barcelona. Having landed in Madrid, tourists can always buy tickets to intercity buses that go to Logrono. Besides buses, it is possible to reach the historical capital of La Rioja by train.