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When you scan the skyline of Segovia, there are many steeples and belltowers.
One stands out above the rest.
The Gothic bell tower of the Cathedral of Segovia, the symbol of the city.
After my inspection of the cathedral, I had decided to skip the bell tower tour since I had a lot more to see within the city and didn’t want to have to return to the cathedral at a later time. Walking out of the cathedral and past the Plaza Mayor, I suddenly had a change of heart and ventured back.
Paying my admission, I hastily made my way to the Chapel of San Blas where the tour was to begin.
It was a few minutes after the hour and I ducked into the chapel, trying to join the group without disturbing the guide’s opening comments. After her introduction was complete, we were ushered to the corner of the chapel where the entrance to the bell tower staircase was hidden.
The original cathedral bell tower was constructed of American mahogany, but destroyed by fire in 1614. This ancient structure was the tallest in Spain, at a height of just over 354 feet. The tower was rebuilt with stone and began undergoing renovations in 2004, but it wasn’t until a full decade later that the tower was opened to tourists and visitors.
Beginning the tour, the guide led us up the winding, spiral staircase, until we reached our first stop, the Audiovisual Room. Taking a seat, we were immersed in a video with three dimensional recreations which explained the cathedral’s and tower’s history as well as information on the works of art and spaces within the temple. Before making our way to the stairway to begin the climb once again, we were able to take in the series of seventeenth century tapestries which tell the story of the general Pompey the Great, woven in Brussels.
A bit breathless, we reached the the next level of the bell tower, the Ringer’s House. Four rooms consisting of a living room, kitchen and two bedrooms, make up the former residence where the bell ringers and their families lived until 1950. Our guide broke down the daily lives of the bell ringer and what it entailed.
Climbing further still, we found ourselves in the Clock Room, where there are more of the tapestries from the life of Pompey the Great. Named for the clock located inside (similar to the one located in Puerta del Sol in Madrid), which was manufactured in 1882 in Strasbourg, you can understand how the bell ringer performs his job with access to the bells through strings connected to the bell tower from his house. We were also rewarded with a reproduction of the sounds of the bells that originally rang out.
Finally, after one last push up the remaining of the tower’s 308 stairs, we arrived at the bell tower. From this highest viewpoint in the city, we were rewarded with outstanding panoramic views of the Aqueduct, numerous Romansque churches and their own towers, the Alcazar, the city wall, the Jewish cemetery and the monasteries and convents as well as the nearby mountains and plateaus. More importantly, it is here that the bells that ruled the city’s life are located.
Staring at these carillons from the inside of the tower is certainly a unique perspective and some of the ten bells date back to the eighteenth century. Each of the bells can be identified by the placard located near the bell which apprises visitors of the year it was cast, its weight and diameter.
While the bells no longer resonate from this important tower, if you close your eyes and use your imagination, you might hear a slight whisper from the past, breaking the silence of the city’s skies.
Bong…
Visitors to Segovia will have many opportunities to see the city from different perspectives. Brave the climb and make sure that this is one of them!
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The Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Segovia
- https://catedralsegovia.es/torre/
- Address: Calle del Marques del Arco 1, Segovia, 40003
- Tour Hours: Daily, November 1 to March 31, 1030, 1200, 1330 and 1630. April 1 to October 31, 1030, 1200, 1630, 1800 and 1930. Night tours, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May to October, 2130.
- Admission: 3€