El Salvador tower, Teruel
Calle el Salvador, 44001 Teruel
CURRENT PROTECTION STATUS: Asset of Cultural Interest (ACI)
TYPE OF ASSET: Property
CATEGORY: Religious
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mudejar
CONSTRUCTION DATE:
CURRENT PROTECTION STATUS: Asset of Cultural Interest (ACI)
TYPE OF ASSET: Property
CATEGORY: Religious
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mudejar
CONSTRUCTION DATE:
- Original construction, 13th to 14th century. Repair, 17th century to 20th century. The addition of the belfry led to structural problems for the tower as a whole.
- 17th century, partial substitution. The adjacent church of El Salvador collapsed in 1677 and was replaced by a Baroque structure in the late 17th century.
This is the most recent Mudejar tower in Teruel. It has a rectangular floor plan with three vertical sections and an Almohad minaret structure featuring two concentric towers with a stairway nestled between the two. The exterior tower is built of brick, whereas the interior one is made of plaster and masonry and divided into three stories, one above the other, covered by a rib vault (the lowest one) and pointed barrel vaults (the upper two); over this, there is a belfry on the exterior.
The lower section of the tower is pierced by a gate in the longer two façades, creating a passageway with a pointed arch covered by a quadripartite rib vault. All the decorative motifs ornamenting the tower are found above this level, featuring series of strips, panels and patterns framed by lines of tile work and angled brick: thus, in the first section of the tower there is a frieze of simple angled brick with a panel of intertwined mixtilinear arches above it; the arches rest on ceramic colonettes alternating with ceramic star details in green and white. Two more friezes of simple angled brick are seen above this panel, framing two beautifully decorated rectangular panels of ceramic tile with a small opening between them topped by a corbelled arch.
The lower section of the tower is pierced by a gate in the longer two façades, creating a passageway with a pointed arch covered by a quadripartite rib vault. All the decorative motifs ornamenting the tower are found above this level, featuring series of strips, panels and patterns framed by lines of tile work and angled brick: thus, in the first section of the tower there is a frieze of simple angled brick with a panel of intertwined mixtilinear arches above it; the arches rest on ceramic colonettes alternating with ceramic star details in green and white. Two more friezes of simple angled brick are seen above this panel, framing two beautifully decorated rectangular panels of ceramic tile with a small opening between them topped by a corbelled arch.
The second section of the tower has a panel of interlacing eight-point stars inset with ceramic motifs, over which there are two round-arched openings, brick detail work in a zig-zag pattern and another frieze of intertwined mixtilinear arches. Finally, the third section, or belfry level, features two rows of openings, with two pairs of pointed arches below and two colonnades of four round arches each above.
Located adjacent to the now-lost Guadalaviar Gate, the western entrance to the medieval compound of the city of Teruel, the tower of San Salvador is the only existing remnant of the Mudejar church and bell tower of the same name.
Located adjacent to the now-lost Guadalaviar Gate, the western entrance to the medieval compound of the city of Teruel, the tower of San Salvador is the only existing remnant of the Mudejar church and bell tower of the same name.
Interventions
Restoration, 20th century
The tower was restored between 1990 and 1993 by the Government of Aragon, which invested a total of 1,057,875 euros in the restoration work. The project succeeded in returning the building to its original splendor and adapted it for tours of the inside. The restoration project stemmed from the tower’s declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was designed by architects Antonio Pérez Sánchez and José María Saz.
The tower was restored between 1990 and 1993 by the Government of Aragon, which invested a total of 1,057,875 euros in the restoration work. The project succeeded in returning the building to its original splendor and adapted it for tours of the inside. The restoration project stemmed from the tower’s declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was designed by architects Antonio Pérez Sánchez and José María Saz.
Projects and interventions
Declarations
Declaration, 20th to 21st century
The tower of the church of San Salvador was declared a National Monument under the Order dated March 10, 1911 issued by the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, published in the Madrid Gazette on March 19, 1911. The original declaration was supplemented by the Asset of Cultural Interest declaration issued in the Department of Education, Culture and Sport Order of May 10, 2004, whereby the original declaration of the tower of the church of San Salvador in Teruel as an Asset of Cultural Interest is supplemented pursuant to Transitional Provision One of Aragonese Cultural Heritage Act 3/1999, of March 10. On November 28, 1986 UNESCO added the Mudejar architecture of Teruel to its World Heritage list, in which four of its most important monuments are included: the tower, ceiling and lantern tower of the Santa María de Mediavilla Cathedral, the tower and church of San Pedro, the El Salvador church tower and the tower of the church of San Martin.
The tower of the church of San Salvador was declared a National Monument under the Order dated March 10, 1911 issued by the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, published in the Madrid Gazette on March 19, 1911. The original declaration was supplemented by the Asset of Cultural Interest declaration issued in the Department of Education, Culture and Sport Order of May 10, 2004, whereby the original declaration of the tower of the church of San Salvador in Teruel as an Asset of Cultural Interest is supplemented pursuant to Transitional Provision One of Aragonese Cultural Heritage Act 3/1999, of March 10. On November 28, 1986 UNESCO added the Mudejar architecture of Teruel to its World Heritage list, in which four of its most important monuments are included: the tower, ceiling and lantern tower of the Santa María de Mediavilla Cathedral, the tower and church of San Pedro, the El Salvador church tower and the tower of the church of San Martin.
Current condition
Conversion into a museum, 21st century. The tower now houses the Mudejar Interpretation Center.
Bibliography
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El Salvador tower
Calle el Salvador,
44001 Teruel
