Located on the left bank of the Guadalquivir river is the famous Torre del Oro in Seville. It was built in the first third of the XNUMXth century, in the last moments of the Taifa kingdoms. It owes its name to the old tile covering with golden reflections that it had and despite being twice about to be demolished, it resisted the passage of time and the vicissitudes of fate. At present it is one of the most visited and recognized monuments in the city of Seville, along with the Girada de Sevilla.
What is the Torre del Oro?
The Torre del Oro is a military albarrana tower from the Almohad period that was once part of the defensive system of Seville. Like all albarrana towers, it was joined to the wall by an arch, but with the demolition that took place in the XNUMXth century of the city walls, it ended up being exempt.
Its function was to monitor the river and prevent the entry of ships by means of a chain that was stretched and that reached a fort on the opposite bank.
It has always been said that it owes its name to the golden glow that reflected the tiles of the tower over the river. However, in the restoration to which it was subjected in 2005 it was found that this shine was actually due to a mixture of lime mortar and pressed straw.
Image | My trip
What is the Torre del Oro like?
The Torre del Oro is 15,20 meters wide and 36,75 meters high. It consists of three perfectly differentiable mortar bodies, the lower one being twelve-sided and each one erected in a different stage. The first was built between 1220 and 1221 by mandate of the Almohad governor of Seville, Abù I-Ulà. The second was carried out in the fourteenth century by order of Pedro I the Cruel. Finally, the tower was finished off with another domed body in 1760.
The exterior decoration is quite austere. From its initial inclusion in the wall, the first two bodies retain the battlements. The second body also presents a certain complexity in the form of blind horseshoe arches, lobular arches alternated with twin arches. It is one of the first buildings on the Peninsula with ceramic decoration. This material was also used in the construction of the third body, which is covered with golden tiles.
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Functions of the Torre del Oro
Apart from its aesthetic attributes, the Torre del Oro had a great defensive importance in the past by controlling the passage between the river bank and the Arenal due to its location and height. In the past it was an almost impregnable tower as it was well staffed with soldiers and archers. Currently, the Spanish Armad manages the Torre del Oro Naval Museum. Well endowed with archers and soldiers, it was an almost impregnable tower.
Nowadays it is managed by the Navy, a Naval Museum being installed in it since 1944. In it you can see models, historical documents, engravings, nautical charts and navigation instruments.
Almost demolished
It is natural that a construction that has been standing for centuries has undergone circumstances that have endangered its integrity. On the one hand, it suffered great damage due to the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. The worst moment came with the Glorious Revolution of 1868 when the revolutionaries removed the canvases from the walls to sell them and the tower would suffer the same fate. Fortunately, the Sevillian people opposed it in time.
Twinned with Lisbon
Another of the curiosities of the Torre del Oro has to do with the 92 Expo that was held in Seville. On the occasion of that event, this tower was twinned with the Torre de Belém in Lisbon.