El Miguelete
Bell tower of the cathedral begun in 1381, with eleven bells including the Micalet, a 7,514-kilogram bell that marks the hours.
- Opening hours
- Daily 10:00–18:45 · Last entry 18:15
- Where
- Valencia
What you will see
El Miguelete is the bell tower of the cathedral. Andreu Julià began it in 1381 and it was continued by Josep Franch and Pere Balaguer; by 1425 it was finished up to the terrace. For centuries it was called Campanar Nou (New Bell Tower), to distinguish it from the old Romanesque bell tower on Calle Barchilla, and it eventually took the name of its hour bell, the Micalet. It was built as a freestanding tower and became joined to the cathedral at the end of the fifteenth century, when the central nave was extended. It follows the Catalan tradition of making the perimeter equal to the height.
You climb a spiral staircase that passes through a first solid section, goes past the old Presó (prison) and the House of the Bell-ringer, and reaches the bell chamber, with eight windows: seven occupied by bells and the eighth by the staircase, which narrows from that point on. That chamber holds eleven bells. The oldest is the Caterina, from 1305, the oldest in use in the former Crown of Aragon; the heaviest are the Jaume (1429) and the Maria (1544), weighing 1,750 and 1,765 kilograms respectively. Above, in the bell-gable (1660–1736), hang the dels Quarts and the Micalet, from 1539 and 7,514 kilograms. The stone balustrade on the terrace dates from 1983.
Cost
General admission is €3.00. Reduced entry, €2.00, is for pensioners, people with disabilities, the unemployed, young people aged 8 to 17, and students. If you live in Valencia capital and can prove it, you pay €1.00. Children under 8 go up free.
Opening hours
It opens all year round, every day, from 10:00 to 18:45. Last entry is half an hour before closing. The terrace can hold a maximum of 50 people at one time.
How to get there
The tower is next to the cathedral, in the heart of the old town, and according to the official website the entrance to the tower is inside the building.
Worth a visit if…
…you want to reach the top of the tower and don't mind climbing a spiral staircase on foot that narrows towards the end. If you are interested in bells, only five of the thirteen are automated, and the Guild of Bell-ringers continues to ring them by hand.
