IERONIMUS

After the reconquest of Toledo, King Alfonso VI of León ordered the repopulation of various settlements south of the Duero, including Salamanca. The mission was entrusted to his son-in-law, the French count Raymond of Burgundy, husband of Doña Urraca—future queen of the Kingdom of León—who completed the repopulation of the city in 1102. The counts appointed Jerónimo de Perigord, a French cleric who had been chaplain to El Cid and bishop of Valencia, as bishop.

The exterior appearance of the Old Cathedral during the Middle Ages, surrounded by battlements, earned it the nickname fortis salmanticensis, in allusion to its fortress-like appearance. The layout of Santa María de la Sede included two towers at the foot of the temple: the taller one intended as a bell tower, and the shorter one, the Torre Mocha, conceived for the defense of the enclosure. Until 1614, the lower room of the latter functioned as the cathedral's dungeon and was only accessible from inside the temple. The current door was opened that same year, when the space stopped being used as a prison and began to serve as access for Cathedral staff, who for centuries occupied part of the towers as residences. Bell-ringers and their families lived there until the 1960s.

From the beginning of the 18th century, the Bell Tower underwent successive reforms. After the fire caused in 1705 by a lightning strike on the Bell Tower, master Pantaleón Pontón Setién added the Baroque finial that today constitutes the upper section of the tower. The overweight of this structure, which doubles the tower's original height, caused the appearance of large cracks. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 further aggravated its condition, to the point of threatening ruin. Subsequent repairs included the placement of iron bands on the outer perimeter of the Romanesque shaft, wooden ties in the interior rooms—taking advantage of window openings that were bricked up—and an exterior reinforcement of the tower's shaft by means of an ashlar lining with a sloping profile.

The origin of the current tour through the towers should be placed between 1998 and 2001, when restoration work on the Torre Mocha and the Bell Tower was undertaken as part of the Master Plan for the Restoration of Salamanca Cathedral. Shortly after, thanks to an agreement between the Cathedral Chapter and the Salamanca City Council, the interior spaces of the towers were opened to the public.

Its opening to tourism in 2002 coincided with the 900th anniversary of the city's repopulation. Since then, Ieronimus has consolidated itself as a unique and surprising space, becoming one of Salamanca's major tourist attractions. Over more than two decades, the accessible spaces have been expanded and the exhibition contents have been constantly renewed.

Access to Ieronimus is through the open door on the southern facade of the Mocha Tower, located in Juan XXIII Square. After crossing the entrance, the tour delves into the towers, authentic guardians of the city for over nine hundred years. Here, rooms that functioned as defensive spaces, bell ringers' quarters, and spaces dedicated to liturgy are preserved.

1.- DUNGEON ROOM. Until 1614, this room served as the cathedral's dungeon and could only be accessed from inside the temple. The current door was opened that same year, when the space ceased to be used as a prison and became an access point for Cathedral personnel, who converted some of the tower's spaces into dwellings. The remarkable thickness of the wall, which had to be perforated from the outside to allow entry to the old cell, is striking. The enclosure is covered by a pointed Gothic arch vault.

2.- JAILER'S QUARTERS. This small room possibly served to guard the access to the dungeon, hence its name. Before restoration, there was a latrine here used by the families who lived in the tower.

3.- ALCAZAR'S ROOM AND OLD CATHEDRAL. This room is located above the entrance hall to the Old Cathedral. From a twin window, the entire central nave of the old temple can be seen. In the background, the main chapel is distinguished, presided over by two masterpieces of late medieval art: the splendid altarpiece created by the Delli brothers and the fresco of the Last Judgment, by Nicoló Delli (Nicolás Florentino). A screen allows us to appreciate in detail the different panels of the altarpiece and other elements difficult to observe from the ground.

The space is dedicated to the musical history of the cathedral. Salamanca had the first music chair in Europe, and the close relationship between the University and the cathedral chapter favored the arrival of prominent musicians in the city. Reproductions of scores, ancient wind instruments, and other elements help to understand the relevance of music in the cathedral sphere.

Salamanca Cathedral preserves an exceptional collection of Renaissance and Baroque instruments, some of which are exhibited here, such as orlos, shawms, a bass, and an oboe. The most unique piece in the collection is a marine trumpet, of which only two examples are known in Spain: the one preserved in the Music Museum of Barcelona and the one displayed in this room.

4.- MOCHA TOWER ROOM.
The floor of this room corresponds to the level of the medieval defense tower. The reforms carried out in the 18th century, when the tower lost its defensive value, raised its height by one floor. The spiral staircase is later than the construction of the medieval tower and was executed by perforating the wall from top to bottom. Before its restoration, the room housed a dwelling and was divided by partitions.

Today, this space invites visitors to discover the importance of the cathedral archive, an authentic guardian of the history of the Cathedral and the city. Here, the work of the archivists, who have preserved unique documents and treasures for centuries, is highlighted. Historical pieces and singular objects can be seen in the display cases, among which the famous El Cid's Pectoral Christ stands out, an exquisite Romanesque crucifix made of gilded and enameled copper, characteristic of the Limoges School.

In the center of the room, the sculpture Lumen Spiralis, by artist Esther Pizarro, has been installed. It is a spiral-shaped grille 12.5 meters long. If we unfold the spiral, we see the city's profile, with the Bell Tower as the highest point. With it, homage is paid to the cathedral archive and its archivists. It is formed by stacked book spines, and these, in turn, are composed of letters from the Latin and Greek alphabets. Only one phrase is legible at the top: the beginning of the Gospel of Saint John “Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος" (In the beginning was the Word).

5.- UPPER ROOM It is a transitional space, a distributor from which one accesses the terrace of the Mocha Tower, the Vault Room, and the walkway that leads to the Rooster Tower and the New Cathedral.

With the declaration of the Cathedral as a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1887, modern restoration campaigns on the monument began, initiated by architect Repullés y Vargas. A timeline informs us about the successive restorations carried out since then.

6.- ROOSTER TOWER PLATFORM AND PATIO CHICO Before entering the New Cathedral, a walkway leads up to the height of the Rooster Tower, from where it is possible to contemplate all its details up close. From this point, a balcony also offers a magnificent view of the Patio Chico.

7.- NEW CATHEDRAL BALUSTRADE As visitors advance, they access the balustrade that surrounds the New Cathedral at the springing point of the vaults. This elevated corridor, inspired by ancient medieval triforia, allows for a close appreciation of the complex Late Gothic architecture of the temple. From here, the grandeur of the building can be contemplated in its full magnitude: its three naves with side chapels and the magnificent star vaults designed by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. Along the route, the large Renaissance windows flood the space with light filtered by stained glass, depicting biblical scenes and figures of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles.

From the center of the balustrade, a privileged view of the majestic Churriguera choir is enjoyed, with its finely carved walnut stalls, flanked by two organs—one Renaissance and one Baroque. The Main Chapel is presided over by the image of the Virgin of the Assumption, accompanied by imposing sculptures representing the Fathers of the Eastern and Western Church. Above the altar, two large silver urns guard the relics of Saint John of Sahagún, patron saint of Salamanca, and Saint Thomas of Villanueva.

9.- MALLORCA SPIRAL STAIRCASE The tour continues along a Mallorca spiral staircase that starts from the Chapel of San Clemente and ascends to the terrace of the New Cathedral. A work by Juan Gil de Hontañón, this 16th-century staircase is a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering: it lacks a central axis and rises helically, relying solely on the wall. The handrail, carved directly into the stone, accompanies the ascent. Climbing it is an almost sculptural experience: light enters through small openings, the stone gently curves, and the visitor feels how architecture transforms into movement.

10.- ANAYA TERRACE From this terrace, the most complete and impressive panoramic view of Salamanca unfolds. To the west, the hill of San Vicente, the historical origin of the city, can be distinguished. Beneath our feet stands the historic University building, crowned by the bell gable of its chapel, and in the background of the panorama, the Colegio Mayor del Arzobispo Fonseca, one of the four Colegios Mayores that Salamanca had. Next, the imposing silhouette of the Clerecía church and the Pontifical University, which occupy what was once the old College of the Society of Jesus, are observed. To the north, we see the Rúa Mayor, the main axis of the historic city, which leads to the Church of San Martín. Behind it, we see the bell gable of the Town Hall, indicating where the Plaza Mayor is located. At the visitor's feet extends the Plaza de Anaya, laid out in 1811 during the French occupation of the city, where the Church of San Sebastián and the old Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé or de Anaya are located. To the east stand out the Convent of Las Dueñas and the Convent of San Esteban, two essential landmarks of Salamanca's heritage. Finally, in front of us rises the majestic structure of the New Cathedral. Its three stepped naves, supported by buttresses, flying buttresses, and pinnacles, offer an authentic lesson in Late Gothic architecture, visible here in its full magnitude.

11.- NEW CATHEDRAL UNDER-ROOF SPACE Space comprised between the vaults of the central nave of the New Cathedral and the building's roof. A walkway allows traversing the section that extends between the foot of the temple and the dome. Below us is the extrados of the vaults, onto which an audiovisual is projected, inviting one to “fly” over the temple and discover the cathedral's internal structure, as well as details impossible to appreciate from the ground.

The tour continues towards the Bell Tower. Its ascent is via a spiral staircase, controlled by a traffic light.

12.- CLOCK ROOM The Clock Room corresponds to the last level of the medieval tower, located between the Vault Room and the Bell Room. Here, the traces of damage suffered by the tower over time can be seen: the fire of 1705, the Baroque restoration carried out by Pantaleón Pontón Setién—whose addition caused serious structural problems—and the effects of the Lisbon Earthquake. Repairs included the placement of iron straps on the exterior, wooden ties on the interior, and the lining with a masonry “sheathing” of the Romanesque shaft. The 16th-century star vault that covered this space was also dismantled, and a wooden floor with a central opening was installed to illuminate the interior. Currently, the room houses the old machinery of the cathedral clock and a video about the passage of time. For centuries, this clock marked the daily life of the city and even created a curious situation: after the adoption of the Greenwich meridian, two time schedules coexisted: that of the cathedral clock for daily life and the official one marked by the Town Hall clock.

13.- BELL CHAMBER This room belongs to the upper body of the tower, added in the 18th century. The current bell tower houses fourteen bells. Above them, in the tower's dome, is the largest bell in Salamanca, the main bell or great hour bell, known as «María de la O». Further up, inside the lantern, is the small quarter-hour bell. The walls of the room preserve numerous inscriptions with religious dedications, maintained as testimony and homage to those who, in past times, left the mark of their presence on these walls. From this point, the highest in the city, a complete panoramic view towards the four cardinal points is obtained.

Descending, at the height of the Upper Room, the following rooms are found:

14.- VAULT ROOM Built in the 13th century, the room is covered by a pointed barrel vault. Both the walls and the vault were constructed with ashlar masonry of Villamayor sandstone, on which traces of carving and stonemason's marks can still be seen. Throughout the 18th century, various interventions and several natural disasters severely damaged its structure, forcing it to be reinforced and shored up. The first of these disasters occurred in 1705, when lightning caused a fire that melted the bells and turned the room into a true oven, bursting the walls and affecting the upper body of the tower. Master Pantaleón Pontón Setién was in charge of its repair and added the Baroque finial that crowns the tower. However, the weight of this new structure damaged the medieval shaft, a damage that worsened after the Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755. The consequences of all this are still visible inside: fractured walls, cracks, and splayed windows that were filled in. Two large wooden logs now shore up the room, while on the exterior, several metal straps reinforce both this room and the rest of the Bell Tower. In addition, an added wall as a stone lining covered the original shaft from the bell level to the ground, forever concealing the primitive structure on three of its sides. The display cases in the room exhibit the designs of the different projects presented for its restoration, along with objects that evoke the trades whose anonymous work, over the centuries, shaped this exceptional cathedral complex. This space also recalls that bell ringers and other cathedral workers lived here for generations, who, along with their families, made this room their home until well into the second half of the 20th century.

15.- MOCHA TOWER TERRACE Despite its name, this tower was never truncated; in fact, in its origins it was lower, as it was heightened by one section in the 18th century.

The exit to the Mocha Tower Terrace, located at the foot of the Bell Tower, offers one of the most complete and beautiful views of the Cathedral Complex. Especially noteworthy is the unique silhouette of the Rooster Tower, the Byzantine-inspired dome of the Old Cathedral, whose originality contrasts with the imposing neoclassical dome of the New Cathedral. The battlements that crown the central nave of the Old Cathedral evoke its ancient defensive character, reminding us that this temple was also a fortress.

From this privileged point, the gaze opens towards the Tormes river plain, where, from east to west, some of the most significant landmarks of the Salamanca landscape follow one another: the Monastery of La Vega, from where the image of the patron saint of Salamanca that today presides over the altarpiece of the Old Cathedral originates; the Tormes river itself; the Roman Bridge, which leads to the historic Arrabal del Puente; and, above it, the contemporary silhouette of the Parador de Turismo.

At our feet, we see the cathedral cloister, on whose eastern side stands out the Gothic window of the Chapel of Santa Bárbara, where examinations granting the title of Doctor by the University of Salamanca were held until the mid-19th century.