Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;2;ar
Library Location
Beja, Portugal
Notes
Horseshoe-arched window (or cross-arched) with very pronounced arch shoulders forming a semi-choke between the fully rounded arch and the rectangular niche. Approximate size of frame: 2.35 m x 1.00 m. Approximate size of opening: 0.75 m (between window jambs and arch diameter); 0.40 m (between the shoulders of the necklace); 1.45 meters (from sill to corners); 2.00 meters (full height of the opening). The opening is surrounded by a narrow, rectangular frame set back slightly from the level of the wall in which the window is located. The iron grille barrier was also used as a cover. The window illuminates a space that connects the two flights of stairs that connect the second and third halls of the tower. The cycle of stairs that leads up to that building spiral space, so that the steps then become straight until they reach the roof. These steps open onto the inner part of the enclosure wall, which retreats slightly from the outer part of the tower, while the other parts of the stairs are illuminated through narrow niches. The window and tower are built of well-cut limestone; The way it was integrated - stone - into the wall mass indicates that its construction was carried out in the same period in which the tower was built as it has reached us today. The dormer window does not provide any decoration, except for a dormer molding with a straight angle located on the inner part of the shoulder of the arch. This window, in addition to its role in lighting the stairs, is used as a balcony overlooking the palace's armory yard. With its border arch, the highest honorary tower on the Iberian Peninsula, it was incorporated into a palace that occupied great strategic importance during the period of the “Christian Reconquest” of the southern Kingdom of Portugal. This palace was fortified and supported many times, and we have evidence dating back to the Roman period. In addition to its utilitarian function as part of a military structure, this tower, with its size, the extravagance of its architecture and the technical care in its execution, indicates a clear desire to show off, and this is confirmed by the border-arched window, rare in that era.
Sample Text
Manuel J. C. Branco “Horseshoe-arched window” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;2;ar