Bell Tower - Jerez de la Frontera - Andalusia

The bell tower of Jerez Cathedral is Gothic Mudejar at the bottom and Baroque at the top. It is only a few meters away from the main building .

It was probably built over the minaret of the city's old Muslim-era mosque . The dome that adorns the highest part of the tower is decorated with tiles in the colors of the city flag . At the top of the dome is a weather vane in the shape of a cross.

To reach the first room of the bell tower, you have to climb a narrow stone staircase. There are a total of three rooms that make up the bell tower. They are connected by a metal spiral staircase.

In these rooms there are eight bells , four fixed and four rotating, as well as two small signal bells. Each of the bells has a name, the year of casting and a legend or prayer. In the first room of the bell tower hang the funerary bells: La Gorda (1566), San Salvador (1682), San Miguel Minor (1752), San Miguel Major (1797). On the next level are Salvadora (1885), San José (1885) and Sagrado Corazón (1928), the sharpest clocks. On the third and last level is Santa Àgueda (1510), the oldest piece and the permanent accessory of the clock. The largest of them all is La Gorda, measuring 137 cm in diameter and weighing 1489 kg.

One of the most unique pieces in the building is a rattle, unique in all of Spain for its size and shape. It is a wooden box in the shape of a bell, equipped with several metal handles that, when turned, hit two pieces of iron nailed to the wood. The ringing of this curious instrument only took place between Maundy Thursday and Gloria Saturday , as tradition forbids ringing bells on these days.

Since 2019, after an important intervention in the structure of the tower and the restoration of the bells , it is possible to climb the tower to enjoy one of the most impressive panoramas of the city of Jerez and see the bells up close

Willem Vandenameele