Walls of Tabarca

Last updated
Wall of Tabarca
General information
Type Defensive Wall
Town or city Tabarca, Alicante
Country Spain
Construction started 1769
Owner Government of Spain
Design and construction
Architect Fernando Méndez de Ras

The Wall of Tabarca is a defensive wall built in the 18th century. It is located in the town of Tabarca, Alicante. It was designed by Fernando Méndez de Ras, a military engineer who also planned the rest of the building on the island. [1] The wall has three gates, all of them baroque.

Tabarca Place in Spain

Tabarca also known in Valencian as Nova Tabarca and Illa Plana, and in Spanish as Nueva Tabarca and Isla Plana, is an islet located in the Mediterranean Sea, close to the town of Santa Pola, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain. Tabarca is the smallest permanently inhabited islet in Spain and it is currently known for its marine reserve.

Gate point of entry to a space enclosed by walls

A gate or gateway is a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. Gates may prevent or control the entry or exit of individuals, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port. The word is derived from old Norse "gat", meaning road or path, and originally referred to the gap in the wall or fence, rather than the barrier which closed it. The moving part or parts of a gateway may be considered "doors", as they are fixed at one side whilst opening and closing like one.

Characteristics

The shape of the wall is adapted to the island coastline. It is built in stone, with the outside covered in ashlar. Since the 1980s, there have been some reconstructions and rehabilitations. The wall also has three gates: San Rafael or Eastern Gate, La Trancada or Saint Gabriel Gate and Alicante or Saint Michael Gate.

Ashlar Finely dressed stone and associated masonry

Ashlar is finely dressed stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared or the structure built of it. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally cuboid, mentioned by Vitruvius as opus isodomum, or less frequently trapezoidal. Precisely cut "on all faces adjacent to those of other stones", ashlar is capable of very thin joints between blocks, and the visible face of the stone may be quarry-faced or feature a variety of treatments: tooled, smoothly polished or rendered with another material for decorative effect.

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References

  1. Varela, Santiago (1983). Nueva Tabarca / Nova Tabarca: 3. Las murallas / 3. Les muralles.