Built in 1591 under the reign of Felipe II, the Torre Horadada was designed as a system of coastal watchtowers to defend the Spanish Levante coast from Berber pirates. The engineer Cristóbal Antonelli completed the construction of the tower, which served as a point of defense for the Mar Menor. In 1588, when a corsair galley approached the coast, the tower gave warning to the Torre de la Encañizada.
In 1657, two other corsair galleys entered through the nearby Punta del Gato and captured dozens of inhabitants. The building is a Bien de Interés Cultural with the ministerial record number RI-51-0009150. Located in the Torre de la Horadada, a pedanía of Pilar de la Horadada in Alicante, the tower has been attached to a private dwelling since 1905.
The structure is a masonry tower with a truncated-conical base, approximately 15 meters in diameter, and stands nearly 20 meters high. It features three floors and a coating with crenellations. Its interior was designed with an intricate layout to make it difficult for potential attackers to conquer. While its appearance has been modified to include large windows and the heraldic shield of the Counts of Roche, the tower still retains its historic identity.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.