According to wikipedia:
The church was built in the early 13th-century at the site of a prior mosque. The building was rebuilt after a fire in 1548. The imposing bell tower, with a hexagonal base and five levels, once the site of a minaret, was rebuilt in a Baroque fashion between 1688 and 1705 using designs of Juan Bautista Viñes. The western face has a clock added in the 19th-century. The church was also refurbished in 1785.On our way home from the market, we found the church open and could not resist climbing the bell tower.
It's a steep spiral stairway, quite a workout to reach the top.
There are small windows along the way that show the walls are quite thick.
At the top are the bells.
We didn't climb the final two ladders you can see above. I'm quite sure visitors aren't intended to climb ladders that perilous, but there were no signs nor barriers. I think an aggressive child could easily clamber up there to the horror of anyone watching.
The view from the top was worth the climb.
The last view was a bit of a surprise. From above, it looks like a very impressive, coliseum-like building. Well, on the ground, whatever it was at one time, now it houses a group of expensive souvenir shops for tourists.
The walk back down was much easier.
We walked around the old city a little more, on tired legs, and came upon this performance.
Certainly adds a new dimension to guitar playing!
No comments:
Post a Comment