THE TOWER OF THE HOURS DE CERVIÀ DE TER

The Tower of the Hours corresponds to the southeastern bastion of Cervià Castle and dates back to the end of the 14th century. Subsequently, elements have been modified, both in the structure and in the buildings that surround it. The defensive functionality was lost during the 16th century with the expansion outside the wall and it was revalued as a monument in the second half of the 20th century, with its new use as a clock.
The new spiral staircase allows access to visitors and at the same time highlights the heritage element of the Tower. The intervention is free on the walls, without generating interference in the historical space and allows light to pass between the steps, made with fan-shaped steel rounds, like a sinuous sculpture that rises towards the dome, with views of the castle and of the urban area.
The access door opens at the top with a set of interlocking bars that, in addition to revealing the interior, establishes communication with the outside. The formal language of the door already gives us a glimpse of what we will find inside.
In the area of the dome, the entire interior has been cleaned and sanitized to expose the walls and especially the ceramic vault. The three bricked-up openings have been opened to place windows and thus be able to contemplate the landscape in a panoramic way. The railing of the last landing has been built from the remains of the old staircase to highlight the old bars.
The different landings and perimeter strips are placed in each of the changes in section of the Tower and correspond to the different historical sequences. This solution helps to visualize and understand the different phases of the monument.
The old clock has been replaced by a current model. The dial is now made of translucent white methacrylate with Roman numerals and is illuminated from the inside. In this way, it has been possible to remove the external light that remained on the sphere, incorporating new digital machinery to leave space on the landing for visitors. The restored old machinery has been placed in the Monastery, in the Town Hall offices.