A pit for smelting bells at the old Franciscan church in Avilés (present San Nicolás de Bari parish church)

Abstract

In this paper we study a pit used in the smelting of bronze bells that has been excavated in Avilés (Asturias, Spain) which has been dated between 1210 and 1280 AD. First, we describe the archaeological remains and the stratigraphical context in which they were found, and then we propose a functional interpretation on the basis of documentary sources and archaeological parallels.