In medieval times, this gate used to be one of the city’s main gates allowing entrance to the town. The present gate, which is a memorial rising on the previous medieval gate, was built in 1553 in order to appease the wrath of Charles V over the Comuneros uprising.
The façade of the gate is adorned with sculptures of well-known city personages that are represented in the area surrounding the effigy of Charles V: judges of Castile, the counts Diego Porcelos and Fernán González and El Cid, who is situated to the left of Charles V. It is the oldest known statue of El Cid.
The gate’s interior, which can be accessed through a door in one of the sides of the arch, houses an exhibition hall. It contains Mudéjar plasterwork remains and an impressive mural of Count Fernán González by the artist Vela Zanetti in which medieval trade themes play a key role. One of the rooms of this exhibition hall is entirely devoted to the figure of El Cid. It displays a facsimile copy of El Cantar as well as the hero’s left-hand radius bone.
According to El Cantar, El Cid left through this gate after having gone down to his knees in front of the old Romanesque cathedral and blessing the virgin Mary: "And turning away he spurred on through Burgos to Santa María, and passing through the gate he halted beside the river Arlanzón".
Visits: free admission; check opening hours.
Rev. PAB 26.12.18
