Gate of Bibarrambla

The Spanish name Bibrambla or Bibarrambla comes from the gate's Arabic name, , meaning "Gate of Sand" or "Gate of the Sandbank". The gate was later nicknamed "Arch of the Ears" (). Another theory suggests that during the reign of Philip IV of Spain, a floating tablao carrying too many people had sunk. The ears of dead women were mutilated in an effort to remove their earrings, giving the Gate of the Ears its name. ==History==

by James Baylis Allen based on a drawing by Scottish painter David Roberts, showing the front side of the gate as it stood circa 1830The original gate's construction is attributed to the Nasrid period (13th to 15th centuries)The gate was built of rammed earth, with some elements made in stone. In the 19th century the gate was designated a national monument. == Painting ==

.A Catholic Monarch hung a painting on the second arch of the gate: Our Lady of the Rose, named after the flower that the child is holding. Its sides are decorated with the initials of the kings. The kings may have placed the canvas there during one of their visits to the city. A grandstand was also installed under the voussoirs of the first arc in 1507. The chapel was closed and left a hole that exposed the image of the Virgin to the plaza. This was common in many Spanish gates that contained such paintings. The purpose was to Christianize the main elements of Muslim architecture and show visitors the new religion of the newly conquered city. Originally, the painting followed the schemes of the late Spanish-Flemish school. Its Gothicism is most noticeable in the angels, smaller in size and with angular wings. By contrast, the faces of the Virgin and Child favored greater naturalism and remarkable sweetness. ==See also==