The Obelisk of Ciutadella: A monument to l'Any de Sa Desgràcia

The Obelisk, known as ‘sa piràmide’, stands in the Plaça des Born of Ciutadella, Menorca. It was realized in 1857 to commemorate l'Any de Sa Desgràcia, following a project by the historian Rafael Oleo i Quadrado by master builder Josep Mas i Llufriu. The neoclassical monument stands among several important buildings of the old Ciutadella, including the Renaissance Martorell, the Neoclassic Torre-Saura, the Palau Salort, the theatre des Born, the Ajuntament de Ciutadella (antic Alcàsser), the Mirador over the port of Ciutadella, and the Església de San Francesc.

The obelisk was constructed to commemorate the events of 1558. The invasion resulted in the total destruction of Ciutadella, and the survivors, both from Ciutadella and its surroundings, were more than three thousand. They were imprisoned and taken to the lands of Constantinople to be sold as slaves. A market is held at the foot of the obelisk every Friday and Saturday.

The monument has inscriptions that read, ‘Pro aris et focis hic sustinuimus usque ad mortem’, which means ‘Aquí vam resistir, per l'altar i la llar, fins a la mort’. However, the restoration of the Obelisk, carried out in 2009 for more than 50,000 euros, faced criticism for the techniques used, as the Històrico-arqueològica Martí i Bella society claimed they did not respect the historical materials.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons