Gloria (heating system)

Short description: Central heating system used in Castile, Spain, in the Middle Ages

Interior of the ‘gloria’ of Monasterio de Piedra, Spain

Gloria (meaning glory in Spanish) was a central heating system used in Castile beginning in the Middle Ages. It was a direct descendant of the Roman hypocaust, and due to its slow rate of combustion, it allowed people to use smaller fuels such as hay instead of wood.

Description

The Gloria consisted of a firebox, generally located outside (in a courtyard, for example), which burned hay, and one or more ducts that ran under the floors of the rooms to be heated. The warm exhaust gases from the combustion would pass through these ducts and then be released outside through a vertical flue.

The system is more efficient than a fireplace, because the rate of combustion (and therefore the heat output) can be regulated by restricting the airflow into the firebox. Moreover, the air required for combustion does not have to pass through the interior of the building, which reduces cold drafts. Finally, because the firebox is not open to the interior, there is no risk of filling the interior with smoke.

The modern equivalent of the Gloria would be underfloor heating using piped hot water under the floor to heat rooms.