Merino Tower

The Torre del Merino, sometimes called la Torrona,[1] is a crenellated Gothic construction located between the civil square -old market square, today Ramón Pelayo- of Santillana del Mar and Calle de Lindas, probably raised at the end of the thirteenth century,[2][3] and remodelled in certain aspects in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; others point to the 14th century as the initial date of construction. [4][1] It is believed that it was built by the State for the merino of the Asturias of Santillana,[2] initiating the process of urbanization around the civil square of Santillana as opposed to the religious one, where the collegiate church is located. In addition to being a residence, it served a military function. Today the tower has been carefully restored, with a primitive wooden interior structure,[3][1] and used as a museum. [1] By 1927 it had been carefully restored. [5] The main contemporary transformation is the conversion of the battlements into windows and the execution of a hipped roof over it, as has happened in many other Spanish crenellated towers. Together with the entire town of Santillana, it is an asset of cultural interest as a historical site.

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