Graus. The Bishop's Palace. Palacio del Obispo, and Hotel Palacio del Obispo

Graus had been the capital of the region, and old opulence in buildings remains.  This fine hotel, Hotel Del Palacio Obispo, Palace of the Bishop, is at the historic district, and offers glimpses of the past in its 15th Century structure.

Bishop's Palace, Palacio del Obispo, now Hotel Palacio del Obispo, Graus, Spain

Inside is sleek, modern.

Interior, Hotel Palacio del Obispo

With echoes of the old.

Bishop's Palace Hotel, eclectic mix.

A town landmark is the Basilica of the Virgin of the Rock (Virgen de la Pena) clinging to the cliff just outside town.  See it from the hotel room.

View, Basilica de la Virgin of the Rock, from window of Hotel Palacio del Obispo, Graus, Spain

Wait for the sunrise to catch the summit, Basilica de la Virgen del Pena, Graus, Spain, from the hotel window.

Room at hotel (Bishop's Palace), view, Basilica of the Virgin of the Rock, Graus, Spain

Look down.  There is a small courtyard, with a mural of the Basilica.

Courtyard mural, Hotel Bishop's Palace, Graus, Spain.

Then take a closer look at the Basilica.

Basilica de la Virgen de la Pena, Graus, Spain.  Virgin of the Rock.

The concierge and his wife may even take you to the basement, what would the Renaissance palace-builders have called it?  Rustication was in vogue -- stonecutters cutting masonry blocks, beveling edges deeply, and leaving the central area, the face, in a rough condition.  See http://www.answers.com/topic/rusticate.  With those skills, what is mere walling with masonry, and what is the result of rustication?

Original wall, and original concierges, at Hotel of the Palace of the Bishop, Graus, Spain

Now, to the basement.

Door to basement, Hotel Palacio del Obispo, Graus, Spain

Down the steps.

Dan Widing, in basement of Palacio del Obispo, Graus Spain. Hear something, Dan?

Tried to do a closeup of the coat of arms. Color is not orange.  Must go back and adjust. Camera is old and I, amateur. 

Still, parse the quadrants of the coat of arms. Top left, unclear.  Top right, looks like a rearing elephant. Bottom left, profile, bottom right, 8-pointed star -- or a compass, same configuration; or representation of the sun. Tassles and roping, three heads, look alike with mustaches, caps, and we speculate that is the Bishop Himself. Who was he? Or was he just a secular noble?

Coat of arms reproduced in wall, Hotel Palacio del Obispo, basement.

The elephant may refer to Hannibal who, in the Second Punic War, led his elephants across Hispania to get to Rome, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Spain/. Is that a turbaned head, lower left?  that could refer to the era of Moorish occupation. The official coat of arms for Aragon also shows a turbaned head, with side ties hanging down. Do search in Images for Aragon or Huesca or Graus coats of arms.


This appears to be rustication as well as original rubble and rock and mortar, but an expert would have to examine.

Masonry, rustication? Hotel Palacio Del Obispo, Graus, Spain

Vaulting:

Vaulting, Bishop's Palace Hotel, Graus Spain; and modern climate control

Now, back to our room.  Elegant.

Hotel Palacio del Obispo, room entry, Graus, Spain

Rusticated walls? Original wall? Note that we travel light.

Room, Hotel Palacio del Obispo

Excellent.

Room, Hotel Palace of the Bishop, Graus, Spain

We have seen many wall mountings.  This, at the hotel, caught every change in the light.

Wall mount, Hotel Palacio del Obispo, Graus, Spain

Applaud the repurposing of this historic 15th Century structure, the Bishop's Palace, Palacio del Obispo. For road trippers, the added advantage to having such fine accommodations, is the parking.  Right across the street.

There are other hotels, including the Hotel Lleida, but we wanted to be closer to the old parts, away from busses.