The opening to the public of the Clerecía Towers boosts the city’s tourist appeal, with two tours unrivalled by any other inland tourism destination.
The opening of the Torres de la Clerecía brings with it a new challenge for the city stemming from the agreement and commitment of Salamanca City Hall and the Pontifical University of Salamanca to work together. Another goal of the venture is sustainable management. In this regard, Salamanca City Hall, through the Salamanca Tourist Board, the municipal corporation given the task of promoting the city’s tourism, will manage this tour in collaboration with the Pontifical University of Salamanca.
They have therefore contracted a customer assistance service for the tours, a service that will be run by a team of ten people. The revenue from the sale of tickets and merchandise will be used to pay for this service, which will create ten new positions in the city. Once more, it uses the city’s cultural heritage to promote services for citizens as well as projecting a positive image of the city. Tourism and cultural heritage attest to their own economic and social importance.
Route
The entrance is located in Calle Compañía, at the door with the double staircase, the main entrance to the Pontifical University. The tour begins at the entranceway, and once inside, the audiovisual projection entitled Lorem ipsum ad his scripta blandit gives visitors their first feel of the tour with pictures of the construction of the building and the architects.
Following the climb, visitors access the women’s gallery or public gallery, from whose balconies we visit the inside of the Royal Ministry of San Marcos (Real Clerecía de San Marcos), featuring the first balcony, to which visitors have access, and just next to it, the upper altar and its wonderful Baroque altarpiece.
This part of the building is divided into three halls. In the first of these, under the heading “El principio y el fin” (The beginning and the end), visitors will be able to gaze at portraits of Margarita of Austria and Felipe III, as well as documentation about the founding of the Colegio Real de la Compañía de Jesús, prior to and after the expulsion of the Jesuits.
In a second hall, the windows provide details about the initial and latter stages of the construction of the building, the background and other historical influences , such as the Jesuit colleges in Spain and their expansion to the Americas. There is also documentation about the architects Juan Gómez de Mora and Andrés García de Quiñones, about the altarpieces in the large chapel and the transept. A third hall focuses on the “nuevo renacer” or new birth.
The tour continues with a climb up the stairs to the church’s two towers. The climb up the stairs, known as the bell-ringer, fully restored, uses both light and sound to set the atmosphere for visitors. Once in the towers, visitors then access the bell tower providing a variety of perspectives of the city. The walk between the two towers gives visitors some singular panoramic views of Salamanca, against the backdrop of the Cathedral, the Plaza de Anaya and other buildings belonging to the University of Salamanca.
Municipal authorities invested a total of 790,000 Euros into the restoration, of which 650,000 were used to restore and update the facilities, while the remaining 140,000 Euros was used for museum equipment.
Tickets for the visit to the Scala Coeli. Tickets to the Clerecía Towers cost 3.75 Euros per person and 3.25 Euros per person for groups. There is however a joint ticket, which includes the guided tour through the painting exhibition highlighting the life of San Ignacio entitled Vita Ignatii. Acción y Contemplación (Action and Contemplation), located in the cloisters of the Colegio Real.
Prices:
Individual tickets: 3.75 Euros.
Individual group tickets: 3.25 Euros.
Individual combined ticket Scala Coeli. The Clerecía Towers and the Vita Ignatii exhibition. Vida y contemplación: 6 Euros.
Individual combined ticket for groups Scala Coeli. Las Torres de la Clerecía and the Vita Ignatii exhibition. Vida y contemplación: 5 Euros.
