Places of Interest in Spain

The Aqueduct in Segovia

This is Spain’s best preserved Roman construction feat. An aqueduct is really just a water channel, so the famous and astonishing monument is in fact the bridge that leads the aqueduct across the city of Segovia.

It is a known fact that the aqueduct of Segovia was constructed by the Romans, however, as the original inscription has long disappeared it is not certain exactly when the construction took place, although it is thought that it must have been between the middle of the first and the beginning of the second century under either of the emperors Vespasiano or Nerva.

The actual aqueduct leads water 15 kilometres from a spring at Fuenfría to the city. When it reaches the city the water is run through a tank system to get rid of dirt and grit, and it is then led to the site of the old fortress on the hillside the other side of Segovia via the bridge, which is 728 metres long and has a 1% gradient.

The bridge has a dramatic presence in the city and can be seen from most places. The best place to take it in in all its splendour is the Plaza del Azoguejo where it is 28.5 metres tall. This part of the aqueduct has two levels of arches which are supported by pillars.

20,400 blocks were used for the construction and they were put together without using any kind of binding material. The construction technique is unique in that the stability of each part of the structure depends on the entire construction being intact, as opposed to other aqueducts whose stability lies independently in the pillars.

The Romans built the aqueduct to have a water supply to their fortress and to the city in general.

Or did they?

Legend has it that it was not the Romans at all that built the aqueduct – it was the Devil himself! Listen to this…

A servant girl who worked in the house of a rich man, whose house overlooked the Plaza de Azoguejo, had the daily task of fetching fresh water from the river for the use and enjoyment of her master. It was extremely hard work, both due to the distance and to the steep inclines she had to climb to get to the house. The girl got more tired by the day, and she always knew that the next day she would have to do the same work once more.

But she needed the money and could not afford not to work.

One day she collapsed, completely exhausted, before she reached the house. She was so desperate that, although she was a good girl, she called out for the Devil, in between sobs, and offered him her soul if only she would never again have to do such hard work. Satan, ever swift and ready for a good deal, appeared before the girl to accept her offer. The girl said to him, ‘If you are able to make something that will bring the water from the river to my master’s house and liberate me from this agony before the sun comes up and the cock crows, my soul will be yours forever.’ 

Satan accepted the deal and made her sign it in blood there and then. Happy to have captured a new soul he vanished before the girl could do anything.

She immediately regretted what she had done, but comforted herself with the thought that there was no way Satan would be able to fulfill his promise in just one night. So she finished the day’s tasks as best she could and then went home to rest, although she was unable to sleep.

That night a tremendous storm hit the city. Only the girl knew that it was not simply a rain storm, but Satan himself carrying out her wish. She went to the window and saw how thousands of devils working on constructing the aqueduct.

The girl then knew that she was lost and she fell to her knees and prayed, but nobody answered. The work continued all through the night until there was only one stone left to place. Satan thanked all his little malevolent helpers for their efforts, and accompanied by their dancing and shouting he pranced without hurry towards the place where the last stone fitted, knowing that he had won.

At that moment a cockerel crowed, and Satan stopped in his tracks. A ray of light broke through the night and he had not put the last stone in place… Enraged he stomped off, leaving the magnificent construction almost finshed and the girl’s soul free.

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Now you choose which of these two versions you believe is true.