The Casa de las Campanas (translated as ''House of the Bells'') is one of the three oldest buildings in the city of

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality wh ...

in Spain, and perhaps the oldest civil building. It is located in Don Filiberto street, at number 11, in the old town.

History

Due to the lack of documentation, its origins are not clear, but it is thought to belong to the

late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

if we take into account the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

on the façade and the style of the doors. These coats of arms link it to the lineage of the García Camba family or, more probably, to that of the Pugas, lords of Regodeigón in

Ribadavia Ribadavia is a town and municipality located in the southwest of the province of Ourense, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The urban area lies on the right bank of the Miño river and the last course of the Avia river. It is the capital ...

. The first existing reference to the Casa de las Campanas dates from 1587. At that time, the building was located next to the church of Saint Bartholomew the Elder, which for unknown reasons did not have a bell. For this reason, the bells of the Puga house were used to call the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

ioners, which at that time already belonged to the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monks of the San Salvador de Lérez monastery. The monks also used the Casa de las Campanas as a

wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system ...

, where they could store about 12,000 litres. In the 20th century, in the post-war years, the house was known as the ''Bar Pitillo'' because on the ground floor there was an establishment where customers were offered tobacco. In the 1980s the building was in a poor state of repair until it was acquired by the Pontevedra City Council in 2000 with the aim of refurbishing it. After a careful renovation it opened in 2003. Since 2006, the Casa de las Campanas has been the seat of the university's rectorate. The house also hosts conferences, exhibitions, courses, workshops and book presentations., In 2017, around 380 events took place there. Especially in summer, the Casa de las Campanas becomes a place for tourists to visit.

Description

It is a late gothic building whose authorship may be attributed to a master who worked on the construction of the

Basilica of Saint Mary Major The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the large ...

. On the outside, the house retains the 15th century façade with two ogee arches over the doors. The two windows on the first floor have upper and lower transoms to accommodate sliding shutters, a typical feature of 16th century architecture, as well as the stone balls that decorate the cornice. Between the windows on the first floor there are two coats of arms carved in stone, the smaller one with the arms of the Puga family (

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

s and cauldrons) and the larger one with a heron, typical of the arms of the García-Camba family. Inside the building, stone, almost black wood reminiscent of

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch W ...

s and glass coexist in a careful renovation that gives a modern touch. This university headquarters has an entrance hall or exhibition hall on the ground floor, an office room, a technology room, a conference room and offices for the rector, area directors and New Cinemas on the upper two floors.

Legend

During the 19th and 20th centuries, it was rumoured that the treasure of Benito Soto, the pirate of Pontevedra, was hidden in the house. Benito Soto was the last pirate of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, the man who is said to have inspired the poet

José de Espronceda José Ignacio Javier Oriol Encarnación de Espronceda y Delgado (25 March 1808 – 23 May 1842) was a Romantic Spanish poet, one of the most representative authors of the 19th century. He was influenced by Eugenio de Ochoa, Federico Madrazo, ...

(1808-1842) for his poem "Pirate's Song": ''Pirate ship called, because of its bravery, the Fearful''.

Gallery

File:Pontevedra Capital Casa de las Campanas Portada Lateral.jpg, Side of the house with its second floor balcony File:Pontevedra capital Casa de las Campanas.jpg, Don Filiberto street façade File:Pontevedra 60-20a, Casa das Campás.jpg, Puga and García-Camba coats of arms on the façade File:Pulpería (15956771002).jpg,

Old town of Pontevedra The historic centre of Pontevedra (Spain) is the oldest part of the city. It is the second most important old town in Galicia after Santiago de Compostela, and was declared a historic-artistic complex on 23 February 1951. The historic centre ...

File:Pontevedra-Rúa Don Filiberto (10834100474).jpg, Don Filiberto street

History

Description

Legend

Gallery

References

See also

Bibliography

Related articles

External links