The bell gable (, , ) is an

architectural element :''The following outline is an overview and topical guide to architecture:'' Architecture – the process and the product of designing and constructing buildings. Architectural works with a certain indefinable combination of design quality an ...

crowning the upper end of the wall of

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

buildings, usually in lieu of a

church tower Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

. It consists of a

gable end A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

in stone, with small hollow semi-circular

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

es where the church bells are placed. It is a characteristic example of the simplicity of

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

Overview

The bell-gables or ''espadañas'' are a feature of

Romanesque architecture in Spain Romanesque architecture in Spain is the architectural style reflective of Romanesque architecture, with peculiar influences both from architectural styles outside the Iberian Peninsula via Italy and France as well as traditional architectural p ...

. They replaced the

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

beginning the 12th century due to the Cistercian reformation that called for a more simplified and less ostentatious churches, but also for economical and practical reasons as the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

accelerated and wider territory needed to be re-christianized building more temples and ''espadañas'' were cheaper and simpler to build. Today, they are a common sighting in small village churches throughout

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. This simple and sober architectural element would later be brought to the Americas and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

by the Iberian colonizers, where it would find widespread use especially in the earliest structures. The bell gable usually rises over the front façade wall, but in some churches it may be located on top of any other wall or even on top of the toral arch in the midst of the roof. In the Spanish regions of

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

and the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

, the bell-gables are also known as ''campanar de paret'' (wall bell tower) or ''campanar de cadireta''. (little-chair bell tower) because it reminds one of the back of a chair. In

Écija Écija () is a city and municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is in the countryside, 85 km east of the city of Seville. According to the 2008 census, Écija had a total popula ...

, the bell tower of the church of Santa Bárbara fell destroyed by a lightning strike in 1892 and was replaced by an ''espadaña'',Ramon Freire Galvez, ''Écija, lo que no conocimos.... lo que perdimos...''
a more expedient solution than rebuilding the tower. A

bell-cot A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

is a similar structure, but may appear in places other than gables or building ends.Sturgis, p. 284

Main types and styles

File:ChurchCoamo.JPG, Bell gable at San Blas de Illescas Church,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

File:Oratorio de Amaxalco 10.JPG, Single-eyed bell gable of the Amaxalco oratory, in

Tlalpan Tlalpan ( , 'place on the earth') is a Boroughs of Mexico City, borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. It is the largest borough, with over 80% under conservation as forest and other ecologically sensitive area. The rest, almost al ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. File:Sant_Pere_d'Ullastret_-_Espadanya.jpg, Four-eyed bell gable at Sant Pere d'Ullastret church,

. File:Templo del DivinoSalvador.jpg, Church at

San Salvador, Hidalgo San Salvador is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the Unite ...

, Mexico. Notice the small bell-gable in the top of the smaller chapel. File:Écija2.jpg, ''Espadaña'' at the Church of San Francisco,

. File:Fuerza de San Pedro.jpg, Unoccupied bell-gable at

Fort San Pedro Fort San Pedro () is a military defense structure in Cebu, Philippines, built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is located in the area now called Plaz ...

, in Cebú,

. File:Patio de los Naranjos Ex Convento del Carmen.JPG, Two bell-gables at

El Carmen complex El Carmen is a former convent converted to museum in San Ángel, a southern suburb of Mexico City. The convent was founded on 29 June 1615 by the Discalced Carmelites in the area of the Aztec village of Tenanitla, which was later renamed San Án ...

San Ángel San Ángel is a ''Colonia (Mexico), colonia'' (neighborhood) located in the southwest of Mexico City in Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City, Álvaro Obregón borough. Historically it was a rural community called Tenanitla in the pre-Hispanic period. It ...

, Mexico. File:Uspenia parom.JPG,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n bell gable at the Church of Dormition "s Paroma",

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

File:Detalle Campanario Ex-Convento de Nuestra Señora de Loreto.jpg, Bell-gable detached from the village church of Molango,

. File:Basco Cathedral 02.JPG, Bell-gable at

Basco Cathedral The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as Santo Domingo de Guzman Parish Church and Basco Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral church located in Basco, Northern Batan Island, Batanes, Philippines. Because Batanes was n ...

. File:Argnat eglise.jpg, Bell-gable on the village church in Argnat,

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285.France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

File:Capilla de Santa Cecilia, San Luis de la Paz, Guanajuato - Fachada 1.jpg, Unoccupied bell-gable in a chapel at

San Luis de la Paz San Luis de la Paz is a city, and the surrounding municipalities of Mexico, municipality of the same name, located in the northeastern part of the state of Guanajuato in Mexico. San Luis de la Paz was founded on August 25, 1552, as a defensive tow ...

. File:Sanjuanbautistamission.jpg, Bell-gable at

Mission San Juan Bautista Mission San Juan Bautista is a Spanish mission in San Juan Bautista, San Benito County, California. Founded on June 24, 1797, by Fermín de Lasuén of the Franciscan order, the mission was the fifteenth of the Spanish missions established in ...

, United States. File:Haro - Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Vega 01.jpg, The ''espadaña'' of the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Vega, Haro, Spain File:FacadeAcolman2.JPG, The bell-gable on top of the convent of

Acolman Acolman de Nezahualcóyotl is a town and municipality located in the northern part of State of Mexico, part of the Greater Mexico City area, just north of the city proper. According to myth, the first man was placed here after being taken out of L ...

. File:Fachada igrexa de gomariz.jpg, Gomariz church in

Leiro Leiro is a municipality in the province of Ourense (province), Ourense, in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the Comarcas of Galicia, comarca of O Ribeiro. References

Municipalities in the P ...

Galicia (Spain) Galicia ( ; or ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain and nationalities and regions of Spain, historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, it includes the provinces o ...

File:Ex-convento de la Asunción, Tochimilco, Puebla 02.JPG, Old bell-gable at

Tochimilco Tochimilco is one of 217 municipalities in the Mexican state of Puebla. The municipal seat is the town of Tochimilco. See also *Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl The Earliest Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl () are sixteen ear ...

, reused as a

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...

. File:Santjaumedenveja1e.JPG,

Sant Jaume d'Enveja Sant Jaume d'Enveja () municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Montsià in Catalonia, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta ...

church with its large bell-gable,

. File:Convento de los Reyes Magos.jpg, Convent in

Metztitlán Metztitlán (Otomi: Nziʼbatha) is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 814.7 km2. As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 20,123. Etymology From ...

, with a bell-gable on top. File:Nailloux, clocher-mur.JPG,

Nailloux Nailloux (; Languedocien: ''Nalhós'') is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Population Twin towns Nailloux is twinned with: * Canfranc, Spain * Bucium, Romania See also *Communes of the Haute-Garonne depa ...

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; , ; ''Upper Garonne'') is a department in the southwestern French region of Occitanie. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Toulouse-type "''clocher-mur''" File:Templo de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, Puebla.jpg, Church of Los Remedios in

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

, with a bell-gable to the right and a

belltower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church (building), church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many ...

to the left. File:Il est midi.webm, Static bells struck by solenoid-operated hammers in a bell-gable. File:Ermita de Valmayor 14.jpg, Ermita de Valmayor

Valdemorillo Valdemorillo is a Spanish town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Community of Madrid. The municipality, with a population of 13,453 inhabitants (INE 2022), includes, in addition to the town of Mojadillas, El Paraíso, Pino A ...

(

) File:Capilla de nuestra señora de la Merced de las Huertas - panoramio.jpg, Weird bell-gable in the Merced de las Huertas church, in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. It is attached to a

References

External links

Bamboo or Brick: The travails of building churches in Spanish Colonial Philippines
by Jose Regalado Trota,

Ayala Museum The Ayala Museum is a museum in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is run privately by the Ayala Foundation and houses archaeological, ethnographic, historical, fine arts, numismatics, and ecclesiastical exhibits. Since its establishment in ...

{{Bells Church architecture Architectural elements Types of wall Articles containing video clips