Arco de la Rosa - Puerta de Sevilla

The well-known Arco de la Rosa is one of the gates to the walled enclosure of Marchena. It is also called Puerta de Sevilla and has recently been restored, it is one of the emblems of the city.

This gate and its ensemble are part of the rebuilding of the 13th century late-Almohad Tower performed in 1430, in accordance with a papal bull granted by Pope Martin V in favour of this work.

Drawn up at an angle, it is flanked by two slender, square towers in masonry with ashlar corners, which still have traces of red ochre. The centre has a Mozarabic horseshoe arch, which is not pointed, adorned with an alfiz and masonry voussoirs. The upper part opens onto a vaulted room, with arrow slits, crowned by a crenellated upper platform. Highlights include the coat of arms in stone and cut in relief, and a larger one over the entrance keystone with the insignia of the Colonna family (to which Pope Martin V belonged) and Ponce de León, Dukes of Arcos, with links to the Mudejar tradition. The other, from the same period, is located on the tower that flanks the exterior, consisting of three crossed feathers.