IERONIMUS. TOWERS OF SALAMANCA CATHEDRAL

After the reconquest of Toledo, King Alfonso VI of León ordered the repopulation of several 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.

Upon his transfer from the Valencian episcopal see, Jerónimo de Perigord brought with him the oldest documents still preserved in the Archive of Salamanca Cathedral: several donations made by El Cid Campeador and Doña Jimena, as well as the famous "Cristo de las Batallas" (Christ of Battles), undoubtedly his most prized legacy. This is a late 11th-century wooden crucifix which, according to tradition, accompanied El Cid in his campaigns against the Muslims.

The exterior appearance of the Old Cathedral during the Middle Ages, surrounded by defensive battlements, earned it the nickname fortis salmanticensis, alluding 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 destined for 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 ceased to be used as a prison and became an access for Cathedral personnel, who for centuries occupied part of the towers as dwellings. Bell ringers and their families resided there until the 1960s.

From the early 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 body 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 straps on the exterior perimeter of the Romanesque shaft, wooden ties in the interior rooms —utilizing the openings of windows that were walled up— and an exterior reinforcement of the tower's shaft by means of an ashlar lining with a sloping profile.

The declaration of the Cathedral as a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1887 marked the beginning of modern restoration campaigns, undertaken by architect Repullés y Vargas. However, the origin of the current tour through the towers must be placed between 1998 and 2001, when restoration work on the Torre Mocha and the Torre de las Campanas was carried out within the Master Plan for the Restoration of Salamanca Cathedral. Soon 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 refoundation. 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 visitable spaces have been expanded and the exhibition content has been constantly renewed.

Access to Ieronimus is through the door opened on the southern facade of the Torre Mocha, located in Plaza Juan XXIII. After crossing the entrance, the tour delves into the towers, authentic guardians of the city for over nine hundred years. Here, rooms that served as defensive spaces, bell-ringer's quarters, and liturgical areas are preserved.

1.- DUNGEON ROOM. The ticket office is located here. Until 1614, this room 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 ceased to be used as a prison and became an access for Cathedral personnel, who converted some tower 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.- GAOLER'S QUARTERS. This small room possibly served to guard access to the dungeon, hence its name. Before restoration, a toilet used by the families who lived in the tower was located here.

3.- ALCAIDE'S ROOM AND OLD CATHEDRAL. This room is located above the entrance hall to the Old Cathedral. From a mullioned 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 by the Delli brothers and the Last Judgment fresco, by Nicoló Delli (Nicolás Florentino). A screen allows us to appreciate in detail the different altarpiece panels and other elements difficult to observe from the ground.

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

The Cathedral of Salamanca 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 tromba marina, 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.- TORRE MOCHA ROOM. The floor of this room corresponds to the level of the medieval defensive tower. 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 built 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 Cathedral's and the city's history. Here, the work of the archivists, who have preserved unique documents and treasures for centuries, is highlighted. Historical pieces and singular objects can be contemplated in the display cases, including the famous pectoral Christ of El Cid, an exquisite Romanesque crucifix 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 grating measuring 12.5 meters in length. If we unfold the spiral, we see the city's profile, with the Bell Tower as the highest point. It pays homage to the cathedral archive and its archivists. It is formed by stacked book spines, and these, in turn, are composed of Latin and Greek alphabet letters. 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 transition space, a distributor from which access is gained to the Torre Mocha terrace, the Vault Room, and the walkway leading to the Torre del Gallo 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.- TORRE DEL GALLO PLATFORM AND PATIO CHICO Before entering the New Cathedral, a walkway leads up to the height of the Torre del Gallo, from where all its details can be closely observed. From this point, a balcony also offers a magnificent view of the Patio Chico.

7.- BALUSTRADE OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL As they advance, visitors access the balustrade surrounding the New Cathedral at the level where the vaults begin. 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 is contemplated in its full magnitude: its three naves with side chapels and the magnificent star vaults designed by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. Throughout the tour, large Renaissance windows flood the space with light filtered by the stained glass, depicting biblical scenes and figures of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles.

From the center of the balustrade, a privileged view of the majestic Churrigueras' 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 house the relics of Saint John of Sahagún, patron saint of Salamanca, and Saint Thomas of Villanueva.

9.- MALLORCA SPIRAL STAIRCASE The tour continues up a Mallorca spiral staircase that starts from the Chapel of San Clemente and ascends to the New Cathedral terrace. The work of Juan Gil de Hontañón, this 16th-century staircase is a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering: it lacks a central axis and rises helically, supported only by 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 unfolds the most complete and striking panoramic view of Salamanca. To the west, the hill of San Vicente, the historical origin of the city, can be distinguished. Beneath our feet stands out the historical building of the University, crowned by the bell gable of its chapel, and in the background of the panorama, the Archbishop Fonseca College, one of the four Major Colleges Salamanca once had. Subsequently, the imposing silhouette of the Church of La Clerecía and the Pontifical University is observed, occupying what was once the old College of the Society of Jesus. To the north, we see Rúa Mayor, the main artery of the historic city, which leads to the Church of San Martín. Behind it, we see the bell gable of the City Hall, indicating the location of the Plaza Mayor. 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 San Bartolomé or Anaya College are located. To the east, the Convent of Las Dueñas and the Convent of San Esteban stand out, two essential landmarks of Salamanca's heritage. Finally, before 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, fully visible here in its full magnitude.

11.- NEW CATHEDRAL ROOF SPACE Space between the vaults of the New Cathedral's central nave and the building's roof. A walkway allows one to traverse the section extending between the foot of the temple and the dome. Below us is the extrados of the vaults, onto which an audiovisual is projected, inviting us 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 1705 fire, 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 of the Romanesque shaft with ashlar. The 16th-century star vault covering this space was also dismantled, and a wooden floor with a central opening for interior lighting was installed. Currently, the room houses the old cathedral clock machinery and a video about the passage of time. This clock marked the daily life of the city for centuries and even created a curious situation: after the adoption of the Greenwich Meridian, two timetables coexisted, that of the cathedral clock for daily life and the official one marked by the City 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 Salamanca's largest bell, the main 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 invocations, maintained as a testament 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.

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 sandstone ashlar from Villamayor, where traces of carving and stonemasons' marks can still be seen. Throughout the 18th century, various interventions and several natural disasters severely damaged its structure, necessitating reinforcement and propping. The first of these disasters occurred in 1705, when lightning caused a fire that melted the bells and turned the room into a veritable furnace, 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, damage that worsened after the Lisbon earthquake on 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 prop up the room, while on the exterior, several metal straps reinforce both this room and the rest of the Bell Tower. Additionally, a wall added 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. In the display cases exhibited in the room, the designs of the various projects presented for its restoration are shown, 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, along with their families, lived here for generations, making this room their home well into the second half of the 20th century.

15.- TORRE MOCHA TERRACE Despite its name, this tower was never truncated; in fact, it was originally shorter as it was raised by one section in the 18th century.

Exiting to the Torre Mocha 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 Torre del Gallo, the Byzantine-inspired lantern tower of the Old Cathedral, whose originality contrasts with the imposing Neoclassical dome of the New Cathedral. The battlements crowning 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 view 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 Old Cathedral altarpiece comes; 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 were held for the title of Doctor by the University of Salamanca until the mid-19th century.