CLAVERO TOWER
30 minutes
The Clavero Tower is one of Salamanca's monuments that arouses the most curiosity, due to its beauty and its defensive appearance, reminiscent of a castle, a notable example of urban architecture. It is a magnificent example of a civil Gothic house-tower, which was built at the end of the 15th century. It is not known with certainty whether the promoter was Francisco de Sotomayor (Clavero of the military Order of Alcántara), or Don Diego de Anaya (Commander of the same Order), as the coats of arms of both appear on its exterior.
The Clavero Tower of Salamanca has had multiple uses since it was ceded to the Salamanca City Council in 1943 by its last owner. In 1980, the Museum of the City of Salamanca was installed in it, and it currently houses the Center for Salamancan Studies, CES.
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The Clavero Tower of Salamanca has had multiple uses since it was ceded to the Salamanca City Council in 1943 by its last owner. In 1980, the Museum of the City of Salamanca was installed in it, and it currently houses the Center for Salamancan Studies, CES.
The Clavero Tower is one of the most outstanding examples of late-medieval architecture in Salamanca. It was erected in an area with a high concentration of noble residences, near the palaces of Anaya and Abrantes, within the old parish of San Adrián. Together with the Air Tower, it constitutes one of the best examples of urban fortifications built by the Salamancan nobility at a time when lineages competed to erect the tallest towers as a symbol of power and prestige.
The authorship of its construction remains a subject of debate, although most historians attribute its promotion to Don Francisco de Sotomayor, lord of Baños and Clavero of the Order of Alcántara. The position of Clavero implied the custody of the keys to the fortresses and the Order's archive. Sotomayor belonged to a prestigious Galician lineage settled in Salamanca, with notable influence in Castilian politics of the Late Middle Ages, and participated in decisive events such as the War of Granada alongside the Catholic Monarchs.
The tower was part of a palace built in the second half of the 15th century, of which only the keep has been preserved. In 1867, the then owner, the Marquis of Santa Marta, erected a new building attached to the tower. This small palace, in an eclectic style, combined iron architecture with the classicist trends of the time. Later, it passed into the hands of the Salamanca Provincial Council, which installed various organizations in it, including the Institute of Identities.
In the second half of the 19th century, a lantern or viewpoint was added to the tower's upper platform, intended to improve lighting and ventilation through large windows. The controversy it generated led the Provincial Monuments Commission to request its demolition from the owner, considering that it harmed the aesthetics of the complex, but the petition did not prosper. Finally, in 1885, the upper floor of the tower, where the viewpoint was located, collapsed, fortunately without causing the ruin of the entire tower.
In 1943, the Marquis of Santa Marta ceded the tower to the Salamanca City Council. In 1979, the City History Museum was installed inside, occupying its five floors. After its rehabilitation in 2002, the Clavero Tower resumed its activity and today houses the headquarters of the Center for Salamancan Studies (CES).
The authorship of its construction remains a subject of debate, although most historians attribute its promotion to Don Francisco de Sotomayor, lord of Baños and Clavero of the Order of Alcántara. The position of Clavero implied the custody of the keys to the fortresses and the Order's archive. Sotomayor belonged to a prestigious Galician lineage settled in Salamanca, with notable influence in Castilian politics of the Late Middle Ages, and participated in decisive events such as the War of Granada alongside the Catholic Monarchs.
The tower was part of a palace built in the second half of the 15th century, of which only the keep has been preserved. In 1867, the then owner, the Marquis of Santa Marta, erected a new building attached to the tower. This small palace, in an eclectic style, combined iron architecture with the classicist trends of the time. Later, it passed into the hands of the Salamanca Provincial Council, which installed various organizations in it, including the Institute of Identities.
In the second half of the 19th century, a lantern or viewpoint was added to the tower's upper platform, intended to improve lighting and ventilation through large windows. The controversy it generated led the Provincial Monuments Commission to request its demolition from the owner, considering that it harmed the aesthetics of the complex, but the petition did not prosper. Finally, in 1885, the upper floor of the tower, where the viewpoint was located, collapsed, fortunately without causing the ruin of the entire tower.
In 1943, the Marquis of Santa Marta ceded the tower to the Salamanca City Council. In 1979, the City History Museum was installed inside, occupying its five floors. After its rehabilitation in 2002, the Clavero Tower resumed its activity and today houses the headquarters of the Center for Salamancan Studies (CES).
The Clavero Tower, 28 meters high, is organized into five floors internally connected by a spiral staircase. Its base has a quadrangular plan and a plinth of cushioned granite ashlar, upon which a masonry body reinforced with ashlar stones at the corners rises. The upper section adopts an octagonal shape and is entirely built with finely carved ashlar.
It is in this upper part where the most singular elements of the building are concentrated. Each of the octagonal faces is topped by a cylindrical bartizan, whose bases display interwoven motifs and human heads. The bartizans alternately exhibit the coats of arms of the Sotomayor and Anaya families, while an elegant gallery of blind arches supported by corbels runs between them. The ensemble is enlivened with arrow slits and ogee windows irregularly distributed across its walls.
The original appearance of the roof is unknown, as the tower has undergone various modifications. In 1879, a glazed gallery with a skylight was added to illuminate the staircase, although the criticism it drew ultimately led to its removal. The interior retains the spiral staircase and reproduces the same spatial organization as its exterior. In 1971, the current access door was opened on Consuelo Street, as previously the entrance was through the annex building, whose opening was later bricked up. Currently, as already mentioned, the Clavero Tower is the headquarters of the Center for Salmantine Studies.
No descriptions or images of the fortified house that was attached to the tower are preserved, although it must have been a notable example of late 15th-century urban architecture. That construction, along with the keep, would correspond to the characteristic model of a fortified house of the medieval nobility. In its place, at the end of the 19th century, the building that currently adjoins the tower was erected, an eclectic style work typical of the period and currently owned by the Salamanca Provincial Council.
It is in this upper part where the most singular elements of the building are concentrated. Each of the octagonal faces is topped by a cylindrical bartizan, whose bases display interwoven motifs and human heads. The bartizans alternately exhibit the coats of arms of the Sotomayor and Anaya families, while an elegant gallery of blind arches supported by corbels runs between them. The ensemble is enlivened with arrow slits and ogee windows irregularly distributed across its walls.
The original appearance of the roof is unknown, as the tower has undergone various modifications. In 1879, a glazed gallery with a skylight was added to illuminate the staircase, although the criticism it drew ultimately led to its removal. The interior retains the spiral staircase and reproduces the same spatial organization as its exterior. In 1971, the current access door was opened on Consuelo Street, as previously the entrance was through the annex building, whose opening was later bricked up. Currently, as already mentioned, the Clavero Tower is the headquarters of the Center for Salmantine Studies.
No descriptions or images of the fortified house that was attached to the tower are preserved, although it must have been a notable example of late 15th-century urban architecture. That construction, along with the keep, would correspond to the characteristic model of a fortified house of the medieval nobility. In its place, at the end of the 19th century, the building that currently adjoins the tower was erected, an eclectic style work typical of the period and currently owned by the Salamanca Provincial Council.