Flat-topped Tower Room

As its name indicates, we are here at the full width of the Flat-topped Tower although its height was never reduced. The form of this tower is due to its defensive character.

This room is currently used for the Archive and the Archivists to display treasures from the Cathedral Archive and the Constructive Memory that contained the drawings of the various architects that had taken part in the construction and restoration of the churches.

The Flat-topped Tower is the old 13th-century defensive watchtower with battlements to which changes were made up until the 18th century. It contains documents from the modern period on the building process of the New Cathedral (16th to 18th centuries) and a collection of historical drawings of the Towers.

The popular name of the Flat-topped or lopped tower is misleading, as it was never reduced in height but was in fact built higher.

The 18th-century reform was carried out when the tower had lost its defensive function with the intention of increasing its composite volume to equal the height of the new entrance at the base of the Old Cathedral. This reform included the construction of the walls of the east, south, and west flanks, increasing their height in the form of a floor above the level of the balcony of the original tower.

The room contains the drawing of Anton Van den Wyngaerden of the skyline of the city of Salamanca in the 16th century. It depicts the Flat-topped Tower with this balcony level, with battlements on its perimeter and protected by a gable.

Before the restoration this room was divided by several partitions that contained a dwelling with bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen.