Torre de Belén Facts for Kids

The Torre de Belén (which means "Bethlehem Tower") is a cool old tower in Córdoba, Spain. You can find it in the San Basilio area. This tower is part of the Historic centre of Córdoba, which is a special place recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It used to be a strong gate that helped protect the city walls.

About the Tower
History of the Tower
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About the Tower

The Torre de Belén is shaped like a square. Each side of the tower measures about 7.4 meters (24 feet) long. It is built from strong limestone blocks. These blocks are carefully placed in a pattern called "headers and stretchers." This makes the tower very sturdy.

You can enter the tower through two doors. These doors are at right angles to each other. The outside door, facing north, has a pointed horseshoe arch. This is a special type of arch often seen in old Spanish buildings. The inside door, facing east, leads to the ground floor.

This ground floor was once changed into a small chapel. Because of this, the tower was also called "Torre de las Imágines" (Tower of the Pictures). It was also known as "Torre de San Benito" (Saint Benedict's Tower).

The tower has two more floors above the ground floor. Each of these upper floors has a rounded, dome-like ceiling. From the first floor, you could get onto the city walls. There are rounded arches on the north and south sides for this purpose. The eastern wall has three more rounded arches. These arches once held the bells for the chapel.

History of the Tower

Experts are not completely sure when the Torre de Belén was built. Some think it was built in the 12th century. This was during the time of the Almohad people. Others believe it was built later, after the Christians took over Córdoba.

However, it seems clear that the tower became an important part of the city's defenses. This happened after the Christian army conquered Córdoba in 1236.

The tower was repaired and cleaned up in the year 2000. This work also included fixing the chapel inside and its altarpiece.