Marchena's Stone Gargoyles: The Diamond-Tipped Details of the Arco de la Rosa

The Puerta de Sevilla, also known as the Arco de la Rosa, is a monumental gate in the urban center of Marchena, Seville. It is protected by the generic declaration of the Decree of 22 April 1949. The gate is flanked by two slender quadrangular masonry towers with cornerquoins, crowned with oriental battlements. In the center, it features a horseshoe arch with an unpointed arched design marked with an alfiz and stone voussoirs.

The upper part of the gate opens into a vaulted chamber with some stonemason marks and loopholes leading to an exterior platform. This chamber is accessible through narrow stone arches from the ramparts, one of which is of a mixed-line design. On the exterior, the gate displays stone shields in relief, one larger than the other, over the keystone of the entrance arch. These show the emblems of the Colonna and the Ponce de León, dukes of Arcos, with Mudéjar style ribbons, while the other shield, located on the tower, consists of three crossed plumes.

The gate and its complex belong to a reconstruction from 1430, according to a bula granted by Martín V. The gate is considered a product of the reform program carried out following this bula. It is possible that the original late-Almohad access was not located at this point, but nearby, somewhat further inside toward the San Juan neighborhood. The structure also features stone gargoyles with a diamond-shaped point.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons