Verraco of the bridge facts for kids
Verraco of the bridge with the cathedral of Salamanca behind
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 Location in Spain
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| Alternative name | Bull of the bridge |
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| Location | Salamanca, Spain |
| Coordinates | 40°57′33″N 5°40′09″W / 40.95917°N 5.66917°W |
| History | |
| Material | stone |
| Founded | 3rd–1st century BC |
| Periods | Iron Age |
| Cultures | Vettones |
The verraco of the bridge (Spanish: Verraco del puente) in Salamanca, Spain, is an Iron Age stone statue depicting a bull, placed at the entrance of the Roman bridge. Verraco is a general term that refers to the stone statues of animals made by the Vettones, one of the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula. In Spanish the word verraco [beˈrako] means "breeding pig", but other animals such as bulls and bears were also represented.
The verraco of the bridge is also known as the "bull of Salamanca", or the "bull of the bridge". It is the oldest statue in the city and appears in its coat of arms. Its dimensions are 2.10 metres (6 ft 11 in) long, 1.57 metres (5 ft 2 in) meters tall, and 70 centimetres (2.3 ft) wide. The head is missing and the body broken in half, but was rebuilt.
History
The verracos were erected by the Vettones tribes in the late Iron Age, in several locations across the west of the meseta - the high central plain of the Iberian peninsula. In the city of Salamanca this bull sculpture has been next to the Roman bridge since the end of the 12th century, as mentioned in documents and literature.
In 1834 the provincial governor José María Cambronero ordered the verraco to be thrown into the Tormes river, mistakenly believing that it had been placed on the bridge by king Charles I of Spain, as a mark related to the events of the Revolt of the Comuneros, in which Salamanca participated. This caused the statue to break in three pieces.
In 1867 the statue was rescued to be placed in the Convento de San Esteban, and moved to various museums afterwards, until it was returned to the Roman bridge in 1954, the year of the fourth century anniversary of the publication of the Lazarillo de Tormes. It initially was located in the middle of the bridge, but has been at the entrance since 1993.
The statue has suffered minor vandalism over the years, for example in 2016 and 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Verraco del puente (Salamanca) para niños
