The Miguelete

Look up: that eight-sided stone tower is the Miguelete, the Micalet in Valencian, the city's best-loved symbol. It is the cathedral's bell tower and for centuries it was also its watchtower: from the top, lookouts kept an eye on the huerta, the sea and any fires.

1Almost half a century of building

It was begun in 1381, on the initiative of Bishop Jaime de Aragón, and completed in 1429. Several master builders worked on it: Andreu Julià, Josep Franch and Pere Balaguer, the same man who built the Serranos Towers. It is in a sober Gothic style, almost without decoration, and has a geometric curiosity: its perimeter, about 51 metres, is practically equal to its height up to the terrace.

2A bell that named the tower

It used to be called simply the cathedral bell tower. The name came from its great hour bell, the “Micalet”, cast in 1539 and weighing about 7,500 kilos. The stone gable that holds it, at the very top, was built between 1660 and 1736. To reach the terrace you have to climb 207 steps up a narrow spiral staircase.

3A cathedral on top of a mosque

The cathedral was begun in 1262 on the site of the main mosque, not long after James I conquered Valencia in 1238. That is why it mixes styles: a Romanesque door, a Gothic one and this baroque façade.

From the top of the Miguelete the city makes sense: the old town, the huerta and, in the distance, the sea.

4What to look for

• The octagonal plan of the tower, with buttresses at the corners.
• The bell gable, at the very top.
• The Iron Gate, the curved baroque façade beside it.