The Gothic engineering of the Séquia Real

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Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
02 April 2024 Tuesday 23:00
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The Gothic engineering of the Séquia Real

* The author is part of the community of La Vanguardia readers

I have captured these photographs of Morella, in the province of Castellón, the walled city, where we can admire the aqueduct of Santa Llúcia or Séquia Reial.

We are facing a hydraulic infrastructure in the Valencian Gothic style built between the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1273, James I donated the spring of the Vinatxos fountain for the water supply of Morella.

Until then, the city only had the Avellanar and El Romeu fountains, and the Bassa del Poll and the Bassa del Prat, within the urban centre.

Later, in 1315, Jaime II authorized the Council of Morella to build an aqueduct that would take the water from the Vinatxos spring to the Pla de Sant Llàcer (or Santa Llúcia).

In 1338, the current succession of arches that we can see in the photograph was built and, in 1359, water reached Pla del Sol (now Font Vella).

Since January 2013, Morella has been part of the network of the most beautiful towns in Spain. It is full of historical religious and civil monuments.