Plaza de San Antonio (San Antonio Square), Cadiz
San Antonio Square has long been one of C谩diz鈥檚 beating hearts. Back in the day it was called the Field of Rockrose, but its fortunes changed in the 1600s when a small hermitage to Saint Antonio popped up鈥攁nd gave the square its current name. A nearby well kept C谩diz hydrated for years, making this more than just a meeting spot; it was survival central.
By the 18th century, the square had grown into a proper hub for trade, faith, and politics. It was here that Spain鈥檚 landmark Constitution of 1812 was proclaimed鈥攁nd, not so long after, where the liberal movement of 1820 met its violent end. In short, if C谩diz had breaking news, chances are it was announced鈥攐r crushed鈥攔ight here.
The architecture around the square keeps the drama going. The fa莽ades show a neat uniformity, except for the slimmer outline of the Church of Saint Antonio, which still draws the eye. The Gaditano Casino, an 18th-century Baroque beauty, was later remodeled during the reign of Queen Isabel II, giving it a 19th-century makeover that mixed Romantic and revival styles. Step inside and you鈥檒l also find Moorish-inspired decorations added in 1890.
Then there鈥檚 the old Aramburu Bank, sporting a white marble front from the 1700s but modernized with a splash of early 20th-century style. Add to that the House Museum of writer Jos茅 Mar铆a Pem谩n, once the home of C谩diz鈥檚 celebrated literary figure, and the square becomes part open-air gallery, part history book.
Today, San Antonio Square is more than a patch of paving stones鈥攊t鈥檚 where C谩diz layers faith, politics, and artistry into one lively setting. Sit at a caf茅, look up at the fa莽ades, and you鈥檙e not just in a square鈥攜ou鈥檙e sitting in the middle of four centuries of stories.
By the 18th century, the square had grown into a proper hub for trade, faith, and politics. It was here that Spain鈥檚 landmark Constitution of 1812 was proclaimed鈥攁nd, not so long after, where the liberal movement of 1820 met its violent end. In short, if C谩diz had breaking news, chances are it was announced鈥攐r crushed鈥攔ight here.
The architecture around the square keeps the drama going. The fa莽ades show a neat uniformity, except for the slimmer outline of the Church of Saint Antonio, which still draws the eye. The Gaditano Casino, an 18th-century Baroque beauty, was later remodeled during the reign of Queen Isabel II, giving it a 19th-century makeover that mixed Romantic and revival styles. Step inside and you鈥檒l also find Moorish-inspired decorations added in 1890.
Then there鈥檚 the old Aramburu Bank, sporting a white marble front from the 1700s but modernized with a splash of early 20th-century style. Add to that the House Museum of writer Jos茅 Mar铆a Pem谩n, once the home of C谩diz鈥檚 celebrated literary figure, and the square becomes part open-air gallery, part history book.
Today, San Antonio Square is more than a patch of paving stones鈥攊t鈥檚 where C谩diz layers faith, politics, and artistry into one lively setting. Sit at a caf茅, look up at the fa莽ades, and you鈥檙e not just in a square鈥攜ou鈥檙e sitting in the middle of four centuries of stories.
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Plaza de San Antonio (San Antonio Square) on Map
Sight Name: Plaza de San Antonio (San Antonio Square)
Sight Location: Cadiz, Spain (See walking tours in Cadiz)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Cadiz, Spain (See walking tours in Cadiz)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Cadiz, Spain
Create Your Own Walk in Cadiz
Creating your own self-guided walk in Cadiz is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Cadiz's Old Fortifications Walking Tour
鈥淐谩diz is a silver cup, surrounded by walls and kissed by the sea.鈥� The saying isn鈥檛 just poetry鈥攊t鈥檚 urban planning. For over 3,000 years, this port city has been circling itself with stone, preparing for whoever might come sailing over the horizon. And given C谩diz鈥檚 enviable position and wealth, plenty of enemies did.
After Columbus launched voyages two and four from here,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
After Columbus launched voyages two and four from here,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
Cadiz's Plazas Walking Tour
Nicknamed 鈥渢he silver cup鈥� for the way its peninsula juts into the Atlantic, C谩diz sparkles as one of Spain鈥檚 oldest coastal gems. The Old Town is a maze of narrow streets, whitewashed fa莽ades, and balconies that seem to compete over who can grow the brightest gardens. Add in centuries of Moorish, Baroque, and Neoclassical influence, and you鈥檝e got a city that wears its history in layers... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Cadiz Introduction Walking Tour
C谩diz isn鈥檛 just old鈥攊t鈥檚 mythologically old. Some say Hercules himself founded the city after his tenth labor, fresh from slaying a three-headed monster and stealing a herd of red cattle. Others鈥攍ess into mythology, more into maritime records鈥攕ay it was the Phoenicians who rolled up in black ships around 1100 BC and named it Gadir, meaning 鈥渨alled stronghold.鈥� Either way, it鈥檚... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles