Tower of the Three Great Finiestras

One of the most surprising constructions in the Olitense palace is the tower that occupies the south-eastern end, which medieval texts called the Tower of the Three Great Ends and Romantic nomenclature called the Tower of the Four Winds. It is a construction whose sole purpose was to provide a space from which to look out over the gardens and the landscape, with the Sierra de Ujué and the sanctuary of Santa María, a favourite destination for the pilgrimages of the Évreux monarchs, as a backdrop.

Chronicles and works of fiction written in the Middle Ages average tell us about the contemplation from palace belvederes as an activity particularly appreciated by the elites of the time. There are many palaces and castles that still today have large windows or galleries overlooking open ground, where feasts and jousts were held.

The tower arrived at the beginning of the 20th century without its three characteristic cantilevered belvederes. To rebuild them, the restoring architects were inspired by the drawings of the tower known as the Ochagavía tower of the palace of Tafalla, also built for Charles III the Noble and destroyed in the second half of the 19th century. This tower placed the two large gardens of the palace on speech, above a street.

It is worth noting that the tower of the Three Great Finiestras was originally located at the end of a narrow gallery, so that its three outer faces fell plumb down to the moat. In one of the usual changes to design so common in the Olitense palace, it was decided at one point to build Building a wide terrace in front of and on either side of the tower, for which purpose parallel arches were erected perpendicular to the wall to support the esplanade. The tower had lost some of its grace, but the court had gained space in this refined setting away from the Great Tower.