Tower of Homage · Briones (EN)

The old fortress of Briones is located in the N-W corner of the town, whose urban configuration was born from the defensive character that throughout history had this privileged place, border between Castile and Navarre. We know that in 1240 the castle of Briones and several others that D. Diego López de Haro had, were demolished. Diego López de Haro, were demolished by Fernando III. The granting of the Fuero to the town by Alfonso X, in 1256 would bring with it a new repopulation of the place. It probably existed before; castle, walls and access doors to the town, since in the year 1076 we passed from being Navarrese territory to Castilian, establishing Briones as a border town. The enclosure of the castle was completed with that of the urban center by means of walls in which 6 doors were opened. It extends from northeast to southwest following an elongated trapezoidal layout. Of the enclosure of the castle only part of the outer wall is preserved, of which there is a canvas, 2 meters thick, set on the rock and built in masonry with reinforcing ashlars. At the southwest end the enclosure was closed with the Torre de Homenaje, built in ashlar masonry with three floors and crowned by a cornice on canes of matacán, it collapsed in 1940 although three cloths that were restored in 2005 are preserved, in which some openings can be seen: on the east wall, a pointed one that shelters another three-lobed one, at the height of the third floor; on the south wall, another opening, smaller than the previous one, linteled on the exterior and semicircular, wider, on the interior, and on the west wall, a loophole, flared on the interior.