THE EARTQUAKE IN MONTESA 1748 MONTESAS EARTHQUAKE WAS A

THE EARTQUAKE IN MONTESA 1748 MONTESAS EARTHQUAKE WAS A




THE EARTQUAKE IN MONTESA 1748


Montesa's earthquake was a strong earthquake occurred on March the 23rd 1748 in the Valencia region, on the Coast, and its epicenter was in the town of Montesa. An earthquake of the same intensity was repeated a few days later, with the same epicenter, on the 2nd of April.

The 23rd of March the earthquake occurred about at 6:15 am, after heavy rains. After the earthquake, 23 less violent swings continued until April the 2nd , when another earthquake of equal strength to the previous almost completely destroyed what remained in the area. The devastating effects spread over the peoples of the governorates of Xativa and Montesa, according to historians Antonio Cavanilles, Carlos Sarthou and the columnist Teodoro Llorente, which we quote below:

"It was dawn on March the 23rd 1748. After heavy rains, beautiful spring smiled ... The clergy of the Sacred Convent choir had prayed the “minors hours” and some of them were celebrating Mass. Suddenly felt the earth tremble at his feet, tottering walls and vaults collapse with an horrible crash. It was quarter past six in the morning. The church and all the castle buildings fell down. A prolonged thunder out of the ruins and a cloud of dust arounded them. Two hours later, another shake completed the destruction. Repeting the noise and dust were rolling down from mountains the stones from the walls ... "

Teodoro Llorente

THE DAMAGES AND THE ABANDONMENT OF THE CASTLE

In Montesa the earthquake almost completely destroyed the military Castle (and its ruins are still seen today), burying in the rubble many of its inhabitants, killing 18 people, including monks and knights.

THE EARTQUAKE IN MONTESA 1748 MONTESAS EARTHQUAKE WAS A

Map of the Castle of Montesa

  1. Church

  2. Sacristy

  3. Refectory

  4. Kitchen

  5. Tower

  6. Tank yard

  7. Tank

  8. Rooms of prior and novices

  9. Chapter house

  10. Cloister

  11. Rooms of

  12. Owen

  13. Bridge

















Twenty monks used to live in the castle. Their lives was structured around the monastery and the castle had typical plant of the Cistercian monasteries. Co-existed in the castle, monks dedicated to the spiritual work of the Order and the monks engaged in military activity. The castle was described at the time of the “Reconquista”, as one of the strongest in the Kingdom of Valencia for its solid structure, strong towers and spacious square that stated he could accommodate more than two thousand soldiers

TTHE EARTQUAKE IN MONTESA 1748 MONTESAS EARTHQUAKE WAS A he surviving brothers of the Order of Montesa, abandoned the castle and moved in July 1748 to Valencia, the Palace of the Temple Church, until King Ferdinand the 7th, Grand Master of the Order, ordered the construction of a new convent. Since its abandonment it was used as a quarry for construction of the village and its architectonical elements were stolen. Their owners did not know or did not wanted preserve or recovery the Castle of Montesa.Today they are hardly recognizable units and we only know them through ancient documents.



Its ruins, abandoned to their fate by the same order of Montesa, went to
State after the confiscation of 1835. In 1887 Leopoldo
Peter and Nash, Marquis of Sistallo Benamejís and Knight of the Order of Montesa bought the castle which gave it to his son, Pedro Joaquin. He sold it to Ramon
Jorge Dalmau i Falces (member of the Montesa Order) later Marquis of Olivart, until finally Montesa City Council purchased it in 1970.


THE LAST INTERVENTIONS TO RECOVERY THE CASTLE


The remains of the Castle-Convent of the Order of Montesa was declared a National Monument on 13th of April 1926,

THE EARTQUAKE IN MONTESA 1748 MONTESAS EARTHQUAKE WAS A Montesa City Council, within the economic possibilities of a small town, started in 1996 after many years of neglect about interventions in the castle of Montesa a series of small actions, intended to prevent total destruction of the remains of the Convent. Thus, he commissioned architect Salvador Vila Ferrer's first project. His pursued aim was to strengthen and to rebuild some architectonical elements, as well as the cleaning of the place, so it could be opened to visitors. Fruit of effort of various agencies in the years 1997-2000 is led to complete building works and recovered walls original access ramp to the castle. Initiated the current legislature, it wasn’t necessary to specify that defining symbol of the town of Montesa (castle) was a priority.

Thus, following the work of recovery that began a few years ago, in October 1999 Associación Macizo of Caroig requested, through Leader II program, an economic aid to provide to the castle electricity and water, nonexistent infrastructure at the time but needed to perform any work in the future. The intervention will bring down costs of any building work performed within the castle, it will facilitate the installation of any machinery which needs power, pointing out some aspects of beauty of the monument, with the illumination of some of its parts and the landscaping of the cloister.



THE EARTQUAKE IN MONTESA 1748 MONTESAS EARTHQUAKE WAS A In 1997, the Directorate General of the Department of Heritage, commissioned architect Salvador Vila Ferrer a draft consolidation of those damaged structures, but nothing has been done about it yet.


In 2004 the council awarded the City of Montesa a grant of 15 million ancient pesetas (90,160 euros), to start the reconstruction process of the Chapter of Castillo, a project that has also been commissioned to Vila Ferrer and begin running shortly.


The Castle is, without doubt, the most important tourist attraction of Montesa, and although it is in ruins is partially restored and strengthened and it remains one of the most impressive ruins of the Valencian Community.





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