Arco de Felipe V

The Arch of Philip V

The Ronda audio-guided tour has you pass under the Arch of Philip V, one of the former monumental entrances of the city, on the way to the Puente Nuevo.

A gate born of a collapse

At this spot was once a simple Arab gate integrated into the medieval ramparts, become too narrow and in poor condition. When, in the middle of the eighteenth century, the first Puente Nuevo collapsed, everyone had to go back through the neighbouring old bridge. Faced with the influx of travellers, carts and beasts of burden, the city decided to replace the old gate with a wider passage, built in 1742 and dedicated to King Philip V of Spain, whose coat of arms adorns the outer face. The arch presents itself as a massive double arch of cut stone, surmounted by three pinnacles and decorated with the Anjou shell, a nod to the French origins of the sovereign. For more than fifty years, until the completion of the Puente Nuevo in 1793, it was the only passage between the two districts of Ronda.

What there is to see

The Arch of Philip V charms with its silhouette of a double stone arch, its pinnacles and its royal coat of arms. Passing under it, one imagines the bustle of the eighteenth century, when all the traffic of Ronda had to cross this single point. It is a stage laden with history on the descent towards the Puente Nuevo and the Tajo gorges.

Practical information

The Arch of Philip V is on the path descending towards the Puente Nuevo, in Ronda. It can be crossed freely on foot at all hours; the route includes slopes, to be taken into account according to your mobility.

Why was the Arch of Philip V built?

To replace an old Arab gate that was too narrow, after the collapse of the first Puente Nuevo that had diverted all the traffic onto the old bridge.

To whom is the arch dedicated?

To King Philip V of Spain, whose coat of arms and the Anjou shell adorn the outer face; it was built in 1742.