Castell de Santa Àgueda
| Castell de Santa Àgueda | ||
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 Ruins of the castle |
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| Alternative name (s): | Castillo de Santa Águeda | |
| Creation time : | 10th century | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | Ferreries | |
| Geographical location | 40 ° 1 '39 " N , 4 ° 0' 29" E | |
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Castle of Santa Àgueda ( Castilian Castillo de Santa Águeda ) is a self- defense system on the Balearic island of Menorca in Spain . It is located in the municipality of Ferreries , on one of the highest peaks (264 m) on the island. The entire facility, which consists of three adjoining sections, covers an area of 5.16 hectares.
The Castell de Santa Àgueda was one of the most important Muslim fortresses in Menorca (also known as Sen Ageinz ) and became the last bastion of resistance against the conquest by Alfonso III in 1287 .
history
The origin of this complex is unknown, but the artefacts found during excavations suggest that constructions from the Talaiot Age (Bronze Age) served as the basis for the walls. Also were Roman Tonkeramikscherben and numerous coins found that were assigned to one located at this location Roman settlement.
The ruins correspond to the typical Moorish floor plan. The oldest remains are the two round towers of the castle, which date from the 10th and 11th centuries. The towers, together with the so-called Casa d'Armes (armory) as well as a central part at the top, were the main parts of the complex.
The architecturally simple cult building built later goes back to a request from Eleanor of Aragon (1358–1382), the daughter of Peter IV . It became known as the Chapel of Santa Àgueda. Saint Santa Àgueda was venerated by the population and numerous records tell of pilgrimages to the Santuari de Santa Àgueda (pilgrimage church) on the saint's name day.
Santa Àgueda de Catania is the patron saint of married women and especially nursing mothers. The martyrdom of the saints consisted of torture and the removal of their breasts , among other things . February 5th is one of the few festivals, not only in Menorca but in all of Spain, where women take the lead.
description
The fortress consists of three areas.
Central area
The center of the facility, on the plateau of the mountain, has a polygonal floor plan with seven sides of different lengths. The base is 1.54 hectares and originally had sixteen towers with diameters between 3.6 and 6 m in round construction, as well as individual rectangular towers.
The construction of the round towers is assigned by archaeologists to the Muslim era of the 10th century, which also corresponds to the construction of the Aljafería in Saragossa or the Alcazaba in Granada . The square towers are dated to the 12th century, the Almoravid era, due to the way they were built and the way the stones were arranged .
Castle complex
The area adjacent to the northwest has a rectangular outline with a length of about 275 m and a width of 80 m. The area is 2.8 hectares. The area had its own water supply, which consisted of two cisterns (28 m × 5.9 m and 15 m × 9 m). The remains of the walls and tiles are visible. From here the only access to the fortress was via a narrow path, which was secured by a gate, in serpentines into the valley.
Armory
The area around the Casa d'Armes armory (classified as the most recent construction phase) borders the central area to the northeast. The outline has an irregular shape, a length of 155 m and at the narrowest point a width of 44 m. The base area is 0.82 hectares. The center of the Casa d'Armes is attributed to the Almohad period (13th century).
swell
- SOCIETAT HISTÒRICO ARQUEOLÒGICA MARTÍ i BELLA CERCLE ARTÍSTIC ( Memento of July 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Castell de Santa Àgueda in www.grc.cat (Catalan)
- ↑ El Castell de Santa Àgueda ( Memento from July 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
