Town Center, Cádiz

The center of Cádiz is an area of narrow streets with a number of handsome squares, including the palm-shaded Plaza de Candelaria, north of the New Cathedral. The Calle del Sacramento cuts diagonally across the old town, and in this street, on the highest point in the town, stands the Torre del Vigía, 34m/112ft high.

Related Attractions

Hospital del Carmen de Mujeres

A little way south of Cádiz's Torre del Vigía, in the chapel of the Hospital del Carmen de Mujeres, can be seen El Greco's ''Ecstasy of St. Francis''.

San Felipe Neri

Northwest of the Torre del Vigía in Cádiz, in Calle Santa Inés, is the chapel of San Felipe Neri, an oval structure built in 1671, in which the Cortes met in 1812; there is a commemorative plaque on the west side of the chapel. On the high altar is an "Immaculate Conception" by Murillo.

Show Details

Museo Histórico

On the south side of the San Felipe Neri is the Municipal Historical Museum of Cadiz. In addition to much material on the period of the Spanish war of independence it contains a number of interesting models, including one of 18th century Cádiz in ivory and mahogany.

Show Details

Museo de Cádiz

Calle San José runs north, passing the Plaza de San Antonio (on the left), to the Plaza de Mina. At the east corner of this square are the buildings of the Museo de Cádiz which is in three sections.

Show Details

Archeological Section

On the ground floor of the Museo de Cádiz is the archeological section, which displays grave goods from the Phoenician necropolis of Cádiz, including a unique marble sarcophagus of the fifth century B.C., and other Greek, Roman, Visigothic and Arab antiquities.

Picture Gallery

The picture gallery on the first floor of the Museo de Cádiz has 21 works by Zurbarán, including his ''Ecstasy of St. Bruno'', ''Vision of St. Francis of Assisi'' and ''Pentecost''. Some of the pictures come from the Cartuja (Charterhouse) of Jerez. Other important artists represented are Murillo (''Ecstasy of St. Francis'', ''Ecce Homo''), Ribera, Rubens (''Holy Family''), Alonso Cano, van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.

Andalusian Puppet Theater

On the top floor of the Museo de Cádiz is a museum of the Andalusian Puppet Theater, with many puppets and a video show of puppet plays.

Santa Cueva

In Calle Rosario in Cadiz, which runs southeast from the Plaza de Mina, can be found the oval church of Santa Cueva (1783), which has wall paintings by Goya (1795).