To the origins
Dated 2000 BC, the megalithic tomb of Ca na Costa can boast of being the oldest megalithic site in the Balearics! It reveals a complex structure testifying of very elaborate funeral rites. Its central chamber of circular plan is delimited by large vertical slabs, themselves surrounded by 3 concentric circles and 22 rays of paving stones... a scheme whose symbolism has not yet revealed all its secrets! Another amazing site, the deposits of the Cape of Barbaria, occupied between 1600 and 1000 BC. Of the twenty or so existing sites, three have been excavated and it is the site called Cape Barbaria II which has the most complex structure. Its plan is formed of different enclosures leaning against each other and presenting circular, elliptical or horseshoe shapes. This plan illustrates a reasoned control of the space then divided according to the functions attributed to each parcel (residential space, work area...). The ancient Fromentaria, the island of the Romans, has a beautiful witness of the presence of this people of builder: the castellum, construction of square plan, dated from the 3rd and 4th centuries, and whose four corners are equipped with a tower.
Defensive and spiritual architecture
Coveted for centuries, the island had to be equipped with protective buildings. The coastline is dotted with numerous two-level circular defense towers, with the only access point being at the highest level, for safety reasons. Dated 1749, the Tower of Sa Guardiola, located on the island of S'Espalmador, is the very first defensive work of this type in Formentera. Other famous examples, such as the towers of Punta Prima and Punta de la Gavina, followed. These defensive towers were complemented by churches, new temples of faith designed to accommodate a growing population. Built between 1726 and 1738, the church of Sant Francesc Xavier is a surprising synthesis of military and religious architecture. Designed as a defense against pirates, the church has 2-meter thick walls and a door entirely covered with iron planks. Its structure is of great simplicity: rectangular plan, single nave and barrel vault. The church of La Mola has a unique feature on the island: a porch protecting the entrance door. The church of Sant Ferran de Ses Roques dates from the 19th century and is different in that it has a Latin cross plan with two chapels flanking the sides of the presbytery, the part of the church isolated by the choir's enclosure and reserved for the priests during services. This 19th century was a period of profound upheaval for Formentera, which saw the birth of the first large urban centers centered around the churches, whereas until then, housing had been isolated and dispersed. In terms of individual housing, Formentera first imported the traditional canons from Ibiza, with houses made up of several juxtaposed cubic volumes, with flat roofs made impermeable by a clay-based mixture and completed with the gutters necessary for the evacuation of rainwater. The openings of these houses are generally small and narrow. Then progressively, the flat roofs were replaced by gabled tile roofs and the openings were considerably enlarged... a sign that the tense climates were easing!
Richness of the small heritage
With no springs or rivers, Formentera had to adapt and design an architecture to ensure a water supply. This is the role of the cisterns and tanks. The cisterns are dug into the ground and have a rounded shape, while the tanks are rectangular and covered with a barrel vault. But in both cases, their openings are protected by a chapel. Beautiful examples can be seen in La Mola. The wells are the other great witnesses of this water architecture. Some of them have very elaborate structures with a high railing that completely covers the upper part of the well, creating a kind of chapel similar to that of cisterns and reservoirs. The Pou d'en Marianet Barber and the Pou d'en Pere Blai are good examples. The water wheels used to extract water from the reservoirs and the canalization systems used to irrigate the land are other witnesses to this ingenious water architecture, of which there are many examples in the surroundings of Ses Clotades and Es Carnatge. Walking along the shore, you will have seen small wooden sheds. These are called " escars " or "slipways", and are a system of inclined wooden guide bars on which boats are slid. To protect them from the rain and the sun, a wooden awning is usually built in the upper part. Many of these small boathouses can be seen in Cala Saona, Es Calo or Ses Illetes. At the same time, an architecture linked to the work of the land developed, of which the windmills are the proudest representatives. The mill of La Mola, dated 1778, is one of the oldest on the island and one of the best preserved, with its wooden mechanism and its small staircase painted with lime. The dry stone walls are the other great representatives of the island, where stone is one of the great resources. The stones composing these walls are not glued by any mortar, only their ingenious assembly ensures stability and durability. Their upper part is crowned with slabs protruding on one side, thus preventing animals from jumping from one plot to another! Don't miss the road markers either. Crosses carved in the rock, crenellations of stone and mortar or a set of small slabs buried vertically in the ground... their shapes are varied!
If some areas could not escape a strong urbanization linked to the increase of tourism, as in Es Pujols, the island has nevertheless managed to preserve its landscapes, thanks to strict rules of urbanism forbidding the constructions at less than 100 m from the beaches. Today, many hotels mix tradition and modernity with bungalows made of natural materials or pretty little whitewashed cubic houses. On their beach, hotels also preserve the tradition of chiringuitos, small temporary wooden buildings with thatched roofs, often used as drinking places. At the same time, contemporary architects have imagined sumptuous villas that blend harmoniously with the landscape while borrowing from local traditions, such as the creations of Marià Castello, who designed a beautiful house composed of three cubes connected by astonishing brick moucharabiehs. An architecture mixing modernity, functionality and respect of the intimacy!
