Tower of Mendoza
| Tower of Mendoza | |
|---|---|
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Native name Basque: Mendoza dorretxea | |
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| Location | Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain |
| Coordinates | 42°51′35″N 2°46′25″W / 42.859722°N 2.773611°WCoordinates: 42°51′35″N 2°46′25″W / 42.859722°N 2.773611°W |
| Official name: Torre de Mendoza | |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | Monument |
| Designated | 1984 |
| Reference no. | RI-51-0005119 |
  Location of Tower of Mendoza in Spain | |
The Tower of Mendoza (Spanish: Torre de Mendoza, Basque: Mendoza dorretxea) is a tower located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1984.
The tower of Mendoza is a fortified tower located in the town of Mendoza, near Vitoria-Gasteiz (Álava, País Vasco, Spain). It was built in the thirteenth century as a residence of the House of Mendoza and hosted the Museum of Heraldry of Álava, but it was necessary to close it to the visits for not responding the building to the accessibility regulations1. The museum had a collection of medieval shields and clothing and abundant information on Alava's heraldry.
History
Iñigo Lopez de Mendoza built the Tower of Mendoza in the early 13th century. He attended the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 and for having contributed to the breaking of the siege of the chains that guarded the store of Almohade Muhammad al-Nasir Miramamolin (1199-1213), added to his coat of arms a border With chains.
The Dukes of the Infantado maintained possession of the Tower of Mendoza until 1856 in which it was sold to the Victorian Bruno Martinez of Aragon and Fernandez de Gamboa. On December 15, 2012, after fifty years of assignment to the Diputación Foral de Álava, it was returned to its owners.