St. Jago's Arch

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St. Jago's Arch

St. Jago's Arch with interpretation panel and Gibraltarpedia codes.jpg

St. Jago's Arch in Gibraltar with interpretation panel
Gibraltar location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of St. Jago's Arch within Gibraltar
Coordinates 36°08′06″N5°21′10″W / 36.1351°N 5.3529°W / 36.1351; -5.3529 Coordinates: 36°08′06″N5°21′10″W / 36.1351°N 5.3529°W / 36.1351; -5.3529
Location St. Jago's Barracks, Main Street, Gibraltar
Type Arch
Material Sandstone
Completion date 16th century
Dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary

St. Jago's Arch is a historic sandstone arch in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is the original entrance to a 16th-century Spanish church located at the southern limits of the old town.

Sandstone A clastic sedimentary rock composed mostly of sand-sized particles

Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized mineral particles or rock fragments.

Arch Curved structure that spans a space and may support a load

An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it.

British Overseas Territories territory under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom but not part of it

The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are 14 territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British territories. These territories do not form part of the United Kingdom and, with the exception of Gibraltar, are not part of the European Union. Most of the permanently inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations. Three are inhabited only by a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They all share the British monarch as head of state.

Contents

History

The ornate sandstone arch is set into the western façade of St. Jago's Barracks at the southern end of Main Street, near Southport Gates. [1] The arch is all that remains of the 16th century Spanish Hermitage of Our Lady of the Rosary (Spanish : Ermita de Nuestra Señora del Rosario). [1] [2] When the British converted the church into military stores, following the 1704 Capture of Gibraltar, the arch was kept and set into the façade of the larger barracks. [2] It was once thought that the arch had been relocated to St. Jago's Barracks from the Spanish : Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza (Church of Our Lady of the Head) [2] in Villa Vieja (Old Town), within the precinct of the Moorish Castle, but it has since been proven that this was a misunderstanding and that the arch has always been in situ. [1] Anton van den Wyngaerde's 1567 detailed panoramic sketch of Gibraltar and its bay depicts the Hermitage of Our Lady of the Rosary at the southern limits of the city walls. [3]

Main Street, Gibraltar main arterial street in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar

Main Street is the main arterial street in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.

Southport Gates

The Southport Gates are three city gates in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. They are located in the Charles V Wall, one of the 16th century fortifications of Gibraltar. The gates are clustered together, with the South Bastion to the west, and the Trafalgar Cemetery to the east. The first and second Southport Gates were constructed at present day Trafalgar Road in 1552 and 1883, respectively. The third gate, Referendum Gate, is the widest of the three and was constructed in 1967 at Main Street, immediately west of the first two gates. The Southport Gates are listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.

Spanish language Romance language

Spanish or Castilian, is a Western Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain and today has hundreds of millions of native speakers in the Americas and Spain. It is a global language and the world's second-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese.

Conservation

St. Jago's Arch is defined as a Category B Listed Structure by the Government of Gibraltar under section 40 of the Gibraltar Heritage Trust Act of 1989. [4] On 26 June 2013, Minister for Culture and Heritage Steven Linares MP, announced in his budget speech that a conservation project being carried out on the walls surrounding Southport Gates was being extended to include the restoration of St. Jago's Arch. [5] The project will include information and lighting of the monument. [6]

Government of Gibraltar

Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar is the democratically elected government of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The government has Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. Elections in Gibraltar are held every four years, with a unicameral parliament of 18 members. The terms are also four years.

Steven Linares Gibraltarian politician

The Hon. Steven Ernest Linares is a Gibraltarian teacher, trade unionist, barrister and politician affiliated to the Gibraltar Liberal Party (GLP). He is an MP at the Gibraltar Parliament and as of December 2011 formed part of the Government of Gibraltar as Minister for Sport, Culture, Heritage & Youth.

St. Jago's Arch
St. Jago's Arch c. 1900 St. Jago's Arch c. 1900.jpg
St. Jago's Arch c.1900
St. Jago's Arch c.1900 
St. Jago's Arch in 1920 St Jago's Arch 1920.jpg
St. Jago's Arch in 1920
St. Jago's Arch in 1920 
St. Jago's Arch with Southport Gates in the background in 2010 St. Jago's Arch (2010).jpg
St. Jago's Arch with Southport Gates in the background in 2010
St. Jago's Arch with Southport Gates in the background in 2010 

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Benady, Tito (1996). The Streets of Gibraltar: A Short History. Gibraltar: Gibraltar Books. pp. 16–17. ISBN   0948466 37 5.
  2. 1 2 3 "Churches in Gibraltar prior to 1704". Roman Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. "Gibraltar en 1567 (detalle de la 'Vista panorámica de la bahía de Gibraltar hacia la ciudad con la costa africana en el fondo' de Anton van Den Wyngaerde conservado en el Ashmolean Museum de Oxford)" (in Spanish). Wikimedia Commons . Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  4. "Gibraltar Heritage Trust Act 1989" (PDF). Government of Gibraltar . Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  5. Linares, Steven (26 June 2013). "Full Text of Minister Linares' Budget Speech". Your Gibraltar TV. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  6. "Inauguration of Restored Wall". Gibnews.net. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.