Berenguela Tower

Berenguela Tower
Tower in 2005
Alternative names	Torre de la Trinidad or La Berenguela
General information
Type	Clock tower
Architectural style	Romanesque
Location	Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Coordinates	42°52′49″N 08°32′39″W
Construction started	14th century
Height	75 m (246 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	11
Design and construction
Main contractor	Domingo de Andrade

The Berenguela Tower (Spanish: Torre de la Berenguela or Torre de la Trinidad, lit. 'Tower of the Trinity'), is the bell tower of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Tradition states that it was built by Archbishop Rodrigo del Padrón as a defense tower with the work continuing after his death by his successor, Archbishop Bérenger de Landore, after whom the tower is named. Reflecting its original purpose, much of the tower is made of ashlar stone. The tower sits on the southeast side of the cathedral where the Pratarias Square  [Wikidata] and Quintana Square meet. The tower is visible throughout the city.

Background

The upper portion of the 75 metres (246 ft) tower has a pyramid-shaped crown, surrounded by four permanently lit bulbs and topped with a lantern finial.^[1] Construction of the tower began circa 1316 at the direction of Archbishop Rodrigo del Padrón as a defense tower. After Padrón's death the work was continued by his successor, Bérenger de Landore. The tower is named after de Landore. In the 15th century several modifications were made and in 1483 Louis XI of France donated the two largest of the thirteen bells.^[2]

In 1833, Archbishop Rafael de Vélez [es] commissioned Andrés Antelo to install clocks on each side of the tower. The clock mechanism has two bells, one, sounding the full hour, called Berenguela, and a smaller one marking the quarter hours. The bells were cast in 1729 by Güemes Sampedro. Berenguela has a diameter of 255 cm (100 in) and a height of 215 cm (85 in), weighing approximately 9,600 kg (21,200 lb), while the smaller one weighs in at 1,839 kg (4,054 lb), with a diameter of 147 cm (58 in) and a height of 150 cm (59 in). Both original bells cracked and were replaced by replicas, cast in Asten, Netherlands by the Eijsbouts foundry in 1989, and installed in the cathedral in February 1990.^[3][4]

During a Jacobean Holy Year, Berenguela's lantern is lit throughout the year. otherwise it stays unlit. The light acts as a lighthouse to guide pilgrims to the cathedral during the holy years.^[5]

References

1. "Santiago de Compostela. Catedral" (in Spanish). Centro Virtual Cervantes. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
2. Vázquez Castro, J. (1998). La Berenguela y la Torre del Reloj de la Catedral de Santiago (in Spanish). Vol. 10. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. pp. 111–148. ISSN 1137-9669. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
3. Llop i Bayo, F. (2010). "La torre del reloj de la catedral" (in Spanish). Campaners de la Catedral de València. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
4. Pedrals, Joan (2010). "Les campanes originals del rellotge de la Catedral de Santiago de Compostela" (in Catalan). Campaners de la Catedral de València. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
5. "Xacobeo 2021 and 2022". Mundiplus. 21 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.

Bibliography

• Navascués Palacio, Pedro; Sarthou Carreres, Carlos (1997). Catedrales de España (in Spanish). Edición especial para el Banco Bilbao Vizcaya. Madrid: Espasa Calpe. ISBN 84-239-7645-9. OCLC 249825366.

External links

• Media related to Torre da Berenguela at Wikimedia Commons