Study of the wall parameters and analysis of the buildings

The oldest remains in the walled enclosure go back to the Roman period, when it was used as a base thanks to the medieval wall. These remains are visible in certain sectors of the enclosure, consisting of half-granite basements like those in the initial level of the fortress and in the San Andres area. These are big blocks of ashlars of Opus Quadratum.
Both the wall erection process and that of its reconstruction must be dated between 1088 and 1122, corresponding to the Arab concept of fortification. A document of royal donation of 1122-1123 tells us of an estate sub castro, which testifies to the presence of a wall prior to the Romanesque one.
The civil conflicts and the presence of the monarchs in the 13th, 14th and early part of the 15th centuries saw progressive restoration and maintenance works on the wall - a process which is very well documented in the fortress.
It can be seen that maintenance of the walls slowed down during the 15th century, as was indicated in the ordinances of the Catholic kings forbidding construction of houses on the walls. The sentences of 1475 forced the tanners to remove a dunghill at the gate of San Martin - the most important street in the city - because it prevented four streets crossing and was, moreover, bad for people’s health. This indicates that the wall had been abandoned as a defensive feature.
Another measure taken for conservation of the walls and their external environment appeared in Henry IV's royal Cedula given in Alcala de Henares on May 1st 1451, which stated that "it is not allowed to remove earth, mud, or sand around the fortress, or from near the Eresma river, and from Santa Lucia to the street coming from the azogüejo passing through that of the Gascons up to the San Lorenzo bridge, and the gates of San Martin and San Andres as far as this river"
The wall underwent a series of repairs throughout the 16th and 17th centuries and, according to the report by Contreras, “It is a real ruin”.
The enclosure is preserved almost the whole length of its perimeter, and shows great construction variety, which is a result of the different works and restoration carried out on it.
The perimeter measures about 3,000 m, lying on the rock of the hill. It has an elongated shape with a gentle slope eastwards.
The city walls were built with emplectum masonry reinforced with blocks. Copons, the architect, kept the amount of blocks down to 86, whereas de Miguel increased this to 92. Doors and slits were opened up along the walls, some of which are now filled in.
Leaving the fortress, to the north-east there are the following gates:
- The Santiago Gate: called this because of its vicinity to the Church of the same name. Now altered by restoration, it was originally a gate arch of Mudejar appearance, later restored with covered blocks of ashlars.
- The San Cebrian Gate: it is believed that this was originally a Mudejar gate built against the hill and reinforced with blocks of ashlars. A stone cross was placed there in 1580.
Starting from there, a steep descent leads down to a wicket-door gate next to San Juan de los Caballeros. The following gate would have been that of San Juan, but this was destroyed at the end of the 19th century. It was one of the main defensive points of the walled enclosure, after that of San Martin, because this area was easily accessible from the city. This gate gave access to a couple of fortified houses: the House of Caceres and the House of Segovia. Their role included controlling access, tax payments and tolls. Their major role was demonstrated through the Inquisition Tribunal, and Andres de Cabrera took refuge there in 1507. In 1520 they served as a base for the Comuneros.
Continuing eastwards, the enclosure goes down San Juan street and crosses the aqueduct through the old Consuelo door. At this point, the wall makes up the north face of Azoguejo square, going along to Calle Real where there was another of the main city gates.
- The San Martin Gate: this was demolished in the mid 19th century. The only things remaining are the shields that decorated it. "The two subsequent arches of the old gate of San Martin lack their robust wooden doors, and it is difficult to say where one begins and the other ends" (1863). This gate was in Real street next to the Casa de los Picos, and it would have provided access to San Martin, one of the main areas of the city, which would probably have been the Roman forum of the city and one of the main public spaces in medieval times.
The Jewish ghetto starts from there, opening onto the current city planning building works. The walls are greatly altered, but still show a beautiful mixture of styles and construction stages, with charming Mudejar works in the facade of the synagogue of the Corpus. This area was filled with buildings from the 15th century. The houses flanked the walls and used these both as foundations and as a quarry. Two wicket-door gates opened up onto this area: that of the Sun and that of the Moon.
"... Towards the San Andres gate, a large number of stones can be seen at the base of the wall, which because of their type, colour and size are similar to those of the aqueduct on the opposite side. Who knows whether, instead of having been brought there after the ruin of the arches, they are the remains of the Roman wall, perhaps taken from the same quarry as that colossal monument?" This reflection of Quadrado in 1863 is still valid today. The area near the San Andres gate requires in-depth analysis because of its multiple construction stages and repair works.
The San Andres gate is flanked by a polygonal and a square tower. It has dressed stone decorations in the Mudejar style and it went through several interventions: the first of these dates from the period of the Catholic Monarchs and the latest was carried out during the 19th century. This gate gave access to the canongías, to the fortress and to the Jewish quarter, and is without doubt the most monumental of the Segovian gates. In the Modern Age, a royal shield and a niche for the statue of the Virgin were added.
The last section of the walls runs parallel to the valley of the Clamores river. There is a fortress in a bend of the river, which was initially an old outpost and later the house of the Mondejar - the slaughterhouse. The Provincial Museum is housed in it today.
The orography calls to mind a half-moon shape and the walls follow this pattern to the fortress, probably of Roman origin. It constantly underwent enlargement and restoration work and the visible part dates back to the Trastamara dynasty, whereas the section covered with slate to Philip II of Habsburg.