Issue date: 21 Sep, 2009
Two stamps are issued within the Castles series devoted to the castles of Arévalo in Ávila and Javier in Navarre. Both stamps depict the main façades engraved.
The castle of Arévalo stands near the junction of the rivers Arevalillo and Adaja which originally worked as a defence and natural moat. This stone and brick construction was built in the XV century by Alvaro de Zuñiga y Guzmán, who was given the title of Duke of Arévalo by King Henry IV. At the death of the Duke, the castle passed on to the Catholic Queen and King who turned it into a prison until the XVII century. With the wars of Succession and Independence, the castle was in ruins and became a graveyard until the XX century. It has a pentagonal floor and, after the restoration works, shows a magnificent tower of the Homenaje and circular cubes that stand out from its wall. The fortress now belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture and hosts the Cereal Museum and Servicio Nacional del Trigo ( National Wheat Service).
The castle of Javier, near the town of the same name, was built in the X century and belonged to the Señores de Javier (Gentlemen of Javier) and was home to their son, San Francisco Javier. Both the castle and the town were won over around 1223 by King Sancho VII of Navarre, a nobleman form Aragón. In 1236 it was handed over by Teobaldo I to Adán Sada and in 1516 was partly demolished by order of Cardinal Cisneros. The castle has three main step bodies built in chronological order. The entrance is through a drawbridge leading to the courtyard defended by the tower of Cristo. The castle also has a tower called del Homenaje or San Miguél. The castles’ had many owners, the latest being the House of Villahermosa, who built a basilica adjacent to its walls, restored it in 1901 and donated it to the Compañia de Jesús (Society of Jesus). The castle is currently the Museum of San Francisco Javier.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
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