Maó castle’s secrets revealed

Wellhead. Set at ground level and octagonal in shape

C.M.W. Maó22/02/10 0:00

Work being done to the floor of the central nave in the Santa Maria Church in Maó has led to the discovery of what could be the remains of the well for the old castle of Maó. The origins of this construction which provided water for the town's inhabitants, could date back to the first urban settlement, in the late Roman period or early Mediaeval Age, according to the parish priest and historian, Josep Manguán.

The remains of the communal well were found at the junction of the wall of the old castle (which corresponds to the side face of the Santa Maria in the Pla de la Parròquia) and one of the castle's two towers (where the belfry is now). It was sited at the end of a road which ran around the castle, between the old church and the wall. The wellhead, which is at ground level, is octagonal in shape with an interior measurement of 1.2 metres.

Josep Manguán explains that access to water was essential for the castle's inhabitants when they had to defend themselves from an outside attack so, in addition to the well, there were several constructions for storing the water. The well had to be sunk away from the sea to avoid salt filtering in. Manguán recalls that historic documents relating to Alfons III's conquest mention the existence of an old well that provided water to Maó's inhabitants.

The area where the Santa Maria Church, Plaça de la Conquesta and the Pont des Castell are now located corresponds to the oldest settlement of Maó, with remains from the Talayotic Age, the Roman town of Magona and the mediaeval Castle of Mahó. The first urban settlement was enclosed by two upright sections of wall with the rear being protected by the cliffs dropping to the port area.

One section of the wall led in a straight line from the Santa Maria's present belfry, passing through the Town Hall and ending at the Convent of the Conceptionists where the other tower was built. In front of this section of wall was a moat. The other part of the wall led from the present belfry to the cliffs on what is now the Costa de ses Voltes.

The old Maó castle had two gates: the Portal de Terra (land gate), which was located between the Santa Maria sacristy and the Town Hall; and the Portal de Mar (sea gate), which was situated at the junction of the street which nowadays bears the same name and the road leading uphill to the Plaça d'Alfons III.

According to Manguán, the streets within the castle boundaries ran east to west. A section of one of these, dating from the Mediaeval Age, is now preserved as private property and is located between the buildings at number 5 and 9 in the Carrer Alfons III.