Merlon
(Redirected from
Merlons
)
A merlon is the solid upright section of a
crenel, and a succession of merlons and crenels is a crenellation.[2] Crenels designed in later eras for use by cannons were also called embrasures.[3]
Etymology
The term merlon comes from the
blackbird
", expressing an image of this bird sitting on a wall.
As part of battlements
As an essential part of
Ghibelline and the Guelph merlon: the former ended in the upper part with a swallow-tailed form, while the latter term indicates the normal rectangular shape merlons (wimperg
).
Other shapes include: three-pointed, quatrefoil, shielded, flower-like, rounded (typical of Islamic and African world), pyramidal, etc., depending either from the type of attacks expected or aesthetic considerations.
In
firearms), the merlons were enlarged and provided with loop-holes of various dimensions and shapes, varying from simply rounded to cruciform. From the 13th century, the merlons could also be used to pivot wooden shutters; these added further protection for the defenders when they were not firing, or were firing downwards near the base of the wall. The shutters, also known as mantlets, could be opened by hand, or by using a pulley
.
-
Usage of merlons, from Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle -
Ghibelline merlons at Saint-Pierre Castle, Italy -
Guelphs merlons in theCastle of Montechino, Italy
Later use
After falling out of favour when the invention of the cannon forced fortifications to take a much lower profile, merlons re-emerged as decorative features in buildings constructed in the
Gothic Revival
style of the 19th century.
Gallery
-
Cathedral of Évora, Portugal -
Walls of Ávila, Spain -
Torre de la Carrova, Amposta, Spain -
Moscow Kremlin Wall, Russia -
São Jorge Castle, Lisbon, Portugal -
Castle of Capdepera, Mallorca, Spain -
Carcassonne, France
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See also
- Defensive walls
- Machicolation
References
- ISBN 978-0-7509-3994-2
- ISBN 978-0-306-81358-0.
- ISBN 978-0-471-14413-7.
- Balestracci, Duccio (1989). "I materiali da costruzione nel castello medievale". Archeologia Medievale (XVI): 227–242. doi:10.1400/244020.
- Luisi, R. (1996). Scudi di pietra, I castelli e l'arte della guerra tra Medioevo e Rinascimento. Bari. ISBN 88-420-5083-0.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
External links
Media related to Merlons at Wikimedia Commons
Look up merlon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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