In antiquity and the Middle Ages, special attention was paid to defensive structures, they did not spare efforts, time and money for their construction - the lives of people and the independence of the country depended on fortresses. Probably, thanks to this scrupulousness in construction, some of these structures have survived to this day as a memory of their historical significance. One of these structures - the wall of Avila - is mighty and strong, which for a long time protected the city from attacks. If you are interested in how the defense was arranged in the Middle Ages, you should definitely visit this place: where, if not here, you can see firsthand what others can learn only from history textbooks?
Historical reference
The city wall tightly surrounds the entire area of the Old Town. The average thickness of the wall is 3 meters, the total length of the defensive structure is 2.5 kilometers. The main feature of the wall of Avila is its excellent preservation, despite the construction that began in the 9th century and the absence of complete restorations.
Architectural feature of the structure:
- The wall consists of 88 towers and two with 2500 battlements
- Shape - rectangle
- In total, 9 gates were made in the wall
- Construction material - brick, black and gray granite, lime.
What else to see in Avila?
- Avila Cathedral, similar to a fortress and performing a defensive function. Its apse is built into the wall - together they represent a powerful defensive structure.
- Church of San Juan Bautista
- Cloister of Encarnacion
- Monastery of Santa Teresa, which was built in 1637 and is considered the most striking monument of the Herresco style
- Complex of Romanesque churches outside the wall of Avila
- Fortified palaces built in the 15th-16th centuries for the nobility.
Interesting Facts
- In the church of San Juan Bautista, there is a baptismal font where Saint Teresa was baptized. She lived for 27 years at the Encarnacion monastery.
- The population of Avila today is about 60 thousand people
- The wall was not erected on "bare" ground - the foundation of the construction was the ruins of a fortress from the times of the Roman Empire
- Avila hosts the only Center for the Interpretation of Mysticism in Europe
- Part of the relics of St. Teresa is kept in Avila
- In 1985, the Wall of Avila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The object belongs to defensive structures.
