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        • 1. La Romanización en las tierras de Xàbia
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      • Quaderns: English versions >
        • 1. Romanisation of Xàbia
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        • 3. The Prehistory of Xàbia and its surroundings.
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7. Segaria Castle and the Blanc de Morrell Tower

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Segària Castle is located at the western end of the Segària mountain range. The mountain ridge rises to 450m then descends abruptly to a col which is also a pass.

​There is a small ledge or platform, bounded by a masonry wall on the northern, precipitous face of the mountain. Upon this ledge there are three parallel walls made of masonry and tapia, largely covered by bushes, which form part of the castle. A narrow path leads to the defensive structures from the col.

Two of these walls support a vault of unknown use. A few metres further on, there is a rectangular water cistern on the almost vertical rock face. It is possible, with some difficulty, to climb up from these structures to the upper part of the ridge where one can find the remains of other walls and a cistern covered with rocks.

The castle is on a pass between the plateau occupied by the Pego marsh and the Rectoria valley. The military building protected various farmsteads in the Girona valley on the southern side of the mountain, although this seems incompatible with its location, 

The chronology of the construction is unknown because the documentation that is available is from the Christian era and there have not been any archaeological studies. However, ceramics on the surface indicate occupation from the 12th century until the Christian conquest, when it was possibly abandoned and dismantled.
The Blanc de Morrell tower stands on the plain sheltered by the eastern end of the Sierra Segaria next to the Cremadella road, a name by which the building is also known. This was the old road that ran from Oliva to Denia and the Garganta pass, skirting the mountains to avoid the marshy area.

At present, the tower can be seen from the new variant of the N-332 and from the AP-7 motorway. It is rectangular, 6.30m by 7.50m, with the longest side facing north/south, and is 10m high. It is divided into three floors and entirely made of tapia, the put-log holes and marks of the tapia boards still being visible.

The ground floor has two rooms now covered by a solid brick vault, which originally would have been a water cistern with access from the first floor. Later, when it became a domestic dwelling they lost their original function and the current entrance opens to the south.

The first floor appears to retain the original southerly entrance. On the second floor the walls lean a little inward with respect to the structure below and the tapia walls seem to have a different shape and dimensions. The four windows that open sideways break through the walls and would have been made in modern times. The current tile roof is gabled, but originally would have been flat, as indicated by the corbels preserved on the upper part of the walls.
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The tower guarded the Muslim population nearby and was possibly built in the first half of the 13th century since no documents even mention the farmstead which it would have protected. After the conquest it was occupied by Christians until the 14th century when it was abandoned.
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  • Home
    • Qui Som?
    • ¿Quienes Somos?
    • About Us
    • Calendario
    • Actas
    • Assemblea anual 2022
  • Blogs
    • Activitats
    • Actividades
    • Activities
    • Museu de Xàbia Blog
  • Projectes
    • Premio de Investigación - Formularios de Inscripción
    • Traducciones Translations >
      • DISPLAY PANELS - GROUND FLOOR >
        • THE STONE AGES - PALAEOLITHIC, EPIPALAEOLITHIC AND NEOLITHIC
        • CAVE PAINTINGS (ARTE RUPESTRE)
        • CHALCOLITHIC (Copper) & BRONZE AGES
        • THE IBERIAN CULTURE (THE IRON AGE)
        • THE IBERIAN TREASURE OF XÀBIA
        • THE ROMAN SETTLEMENTS OF XÀBIA
        • THE ROMAN SITE AT PUNTA DE L'ARENAL
        • THE MUNTANYAR NECROPOLIS
        • ARCHITECTURAL DECORATIONS OF THE PUNTA DE L'ARENAL
        • THE ATZÚBIA SITE
        • THE MINYANA SMITHY
      • Translations archive
      • Quaderns: Versión castellana >
        • 1. La Romanización en las tierras de Xàbia
        • 2. Xàbia en la Modernidad
        • 3. La prehistoria de Xàbia y su entorno
      • Quaderns: English versions >
        • 1. Romanisation of Xàbia
        • 2. Xàbia in the Modern Era
        • 3. The Prehistory of Xàbia and its surroundings.
    • Catálogo de castillos regionales >
      • Castells / Castillos / Castles - Intro
      • Castillo de Aielo de Rugat
      • Castillo de Alcalá (Benisili)
      • Castillo de Borró
      • Castillo de Carbonera
      • Castillo de Castalla
      • Castillo de Chio /Xiu (Llutxent)
      • Castillo de Enguera
      • Castillo de Montesa
      • Inventario
    • Exposició - Castells Andalusins >
      • Intro - Valenciá
    • Exposición - Castillos Andalusíes >
      • Intro - Castellano
    • Exhibition - Islamic castles >
      • Intro and menu - English
    • Sylvia A. Schofield - Libros donados
    • Mejorar la entrada/improve the entrance >
      • Proyecto - fotos
      • Cartel Roll-up
  • Historia y enlaces
    • Historía de Xàbia >
      • Els papers de l'arxiu, Xàbia / los papeles del archivo
      • La Cova del Barranc del Migdia
      • El Vell Cementeri de Xàbia
      • El Torpedinament del Vapor Germanine
      • El Saladar i les Salines
      • La Telegrafía y la Casa de Cable
      • Pescadores de Xàbia
      • La Caseta de Biot
      • Castell de la Granadella
      • La Guerra Civil / the Spanish civil war >
        • Intro - La Guerra Civil / the Spanish civil war
        • El refugi de la guerra del moll de Xàbia
        • l'Arquitectura de la Guerra a Xàbia
        • Planos - Refugi Moll
    • History of Xàbia (English articles) >
      • The Castle of Granadella
      • Ermita del Pòpul - a brief history
      • Telegraphy and the Casa del Cable
      • Civil war architecture in Xàbia
      • Cemetery of San Joan
      • Cova del Migdía
      • Quintus Sertorius - the "Braveheart" of Hispania
    • Charlas y excursiones / talks and excursions >
      • Fotos de actividades
      • Expo Iran - MARQ
      • La Illyeta dels Banyets
      • Al Azraq
      • La Pilota Valenciana
      • Pla de Petracos
      • Cova del Comte - Pedreguer
    • Investigacions del museu - Museum investigations
    • Enllaços
    • Enlaces
    • Links
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • You Tube
  • Visitas virtuales
    • Museu de Xàbia
    • Iglesia de San Bartolomé
    • Capella Santa Anna
    • Ermita de Santa Llúcia
    • Ermita de San Joan
    • Santuario de la Mare de Déu dels Àngels
    • Ermita del Popul
    • Ermita del Calvario
    • Casa tradicional l'Escaldá
    • Casa tradicional Carrer Nou
  • Tenda Tienda Shop
    • Souvenirs
    • Llibres / libros / books