{"id":1525,"date":"2023-12-02T19:07:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T16:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/2-6-1-the-western-tower\/"},"modified":"2024-01-27T11:00:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-27T08:00:55","slug":"2-6-1-the-western-tower","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/2-the-monuments-of-servia\/2-6-1-the-western-tower\/","title":{"rendered":"2.6.1 | The western tower"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The tower is located in the western corner of the citadel, reinforcing, together with the other two towers (north and southwest), the defensive line of the citadel. It is quadrilateral with an approximately rectangular plan, with dimensions of 7\u00d77 m, a thickness of 1,3 m, and a height of roughly 17 m. It is made of rows of stones carved on the faces, filled with rough stones on the inside, and good quality lime mortar as a binding material. A particular feature of the facades is the extensive use of bricks in irregular rows. At the end, part of the parapets, which once crowned the upper level, are preserved. As there are no traces of any spherical triangles, it can be deduced that a flat roof covered it.<\/p>\n

This was a three-story tower, each floor of which was defined by wooden floors, as seen from the holes in the support beams inside the masonry. Communication between the floors was achieved by wooden stairs, as no traces of stone construction survive. The tower seems to have been accessible by a staircase from the walls or its eastern side.<\/p>\n

At the level of each floor and other heights inside the masonry, there is a system of timber beams reinforcing the construction. On the west side, a small arched doorway opens on the first and second floors, while on the south, at the same height, the pilar and the beginning of the arch of a similar doorway are visible. On the northern side, at the first-floor level, an elongated arched hatch is opened, the width of which is increased internally to increase the effective shooting angle. Externally, the remains of a small shallow niche can be seen.<\/p>\n

Its morphological characteristics, similar to a series of towers in Macedonia, date its construction to the middle of the 14th century. Its construction can be associated either with the occupation of Servia by Stefan Dusan in 1341 and the care he took to strengthen the fortification, a practice he also followed in other castles he occupied, or by Ioannis Kantakouzenos, who took possession of Servia after 1350.<\/p>\n

The tower, before its restoration, was about half the diameter of the tower, which was L-shaped with short sides, while the corners retained their full height. During the 1995 earthquakes, losses were limited to occasional stone collapse from the west side. This side, which survives at about its full height, is 6.90m wide at its foot, decreasing to 6.70m at a higher level. Sections survived on the north and south sides with widths reduced height, while the east collapsed entirely. The north side was in contact with the rampart, while the lower part of the southern side, which was in contact with the rampart, had collapsed.<\/p>\n

Around the middle of the west side and throughout the height of the three floors was a large, almost vertical crack, the width of which reached 8.0 meters at the top with a gradual decrease downwards. The crack ran through the small openings of both the first and second floors, above which the middle section of the west side had collapsed. Essentially, the surviving section of the tower, which is Pi-shaped in plan, had been divided into two structurally independent L-shaped sections.<\/p>\n

There are timber trusses at the floor levels and mid-floor levels on the first and second floors. The timber trusses consist of three longitudinal beams. The end beams were not visible on the faces as they were embedded at a shallow depth from the face of the stonework, except the internal beams at the floor levels, which were visible and carried the floor joists. Both the longitudinal and transverse traverses were severely eroded, and internal beams at the floor levels were destroyed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/i>Prev<\/span><\/span>Previous<\/span>2.6 | The citadel<\/span><\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tNext<\/span>2.7 | The church of Agioi Anargyroi<\/span><\/span><\/i>Next<\/span><\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The tower is located in the western corner of the citadel, reinforcing, together with the other two towers (north and southwest), the defensive line of the citadel. It is quadrilateral with an approximately rectangular plan, with dimensions of 7\u00d77 m, a thickness of 1,3 m, and a height of roughly 17 m. It is made […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1316,"parent":1551,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1525","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","things-2-ta-mnimeia-ton-servion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1525"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1526,"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1525\/revisions\/1526"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/byzantineservia.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}