The Fort in Lorca

by Sarah Loft

Title

The Fort in Lorca

Artist

Sarah Loft

Medium

Mixed Media - Mixed Media: Painted Photo Digitally Processed

Description

This began as a photograph I took in Spain several years ago. I painted a print of the image with watercolor pencils, scanned that into the computer, then "painted" the image digitally.

Per Wikipedia: Lorca Castle (Spanish: Castillo de Lorca) in Lorca, Murcia, Spain, is a fortress of medieval origin constructed between the 9th and 15th centuries. It consists of a series of defensive structures that, during the Middle Ages, made the town and the fortress an impregnable point in the southeast part of the Iberian Peninsula. Lorca Castle was a key strategic point of contention between Christians and Muslims during the Reconquista. It is listed as a Site of Cultural Interest.

It is 640 m long and 120 m wide, and one of the largest castles in Spain.

Archaeological excavations have revealed that the site of the castle has been inhabited since Neolithic times. There were archaeological excavations conducted between 1999 and 2011, in conjunction with other excavations conducted in the centre of the town of Lorca. The excavations revealed the existence of an Argaric town that extended from the castle to the actual site of the current town. The excavations revealed funerary sites, homes, and a wall.

It has not been determined exactly when a castle or fortress was first built on the hill. The first written documentation referring to a castle at Lorca is of Muslim origin, which in the 9th century, indicates that the city of Lurqa was an important town in the area ruled by Theudimer (Tudmir), who ruled seven cities in southeastern Spain, mentioned in the Treaty of Orihuela that was preserved by the Andalusian historian Ibn Adarí in the thirteenth century.

During Muslim rule, Lorca Castle was an impregnable fortress and its interior was divided into two sections by the Espaldón Wall. In the western part, there was an area used to protect livestock and grain in times of danger. The eastern part had a neighbourhood called the barrio de Alcalá.

Lorca was conquered by the Castilian Infante Don Alfonso, the future Alfonso X, in 1244, and the fortress became a key defensive point against the Kingdom of Granada. For 250 years, Lorca Castle was a watchpoint on the border between the Christian kingdom of Murcia and the Muslim state of Granada.

Note: The watermark will not appear on the print you purchase.

Featured in the Beauty group, October 2013.

Featured in the Art from the Past group, March 2014.

Featured in the ABC group, June 2014.

Featured in the Images That Excite You group, July 2016.

Featured in the 1000 Views group, August 2017.

Featured in the Art District group, December 2017.

Featured in the Bedroom Art Gallery group, August 2018.

Featured in the World Art Spotlight group, August 2018.

Uploaded

March 10th, 2011

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