Castell de Moraira: An 18th-Century Spanish Coastal Fortress

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.turismoteuladamoraira.com

Country: Spain

Civilization: Unclassified

Site type: Military

Remains: Castle

History

The Castell de Moraira is located in the municipality of Teulada in Spain and was constructed in the 18th century by the Spanish Bourbon monarchy. Its establishment was part of ongoing efforts to secure the coastline after repeated raids by Berber pirates who targeted the area, including the inland town of Teulada.

Several earlier attempts to build defenses along this stretch of coast had failed before the construction of the fortress began. Work on the castle commenced by at least 1741 under the leadership of Don Nicolas Bodin. Above the main entrance, the royal coat of arms of the Bourbon dynasty, dated 1742, likely marks the completion year of the fortification. Far from being a relic of the 16th century as once believed, its true origins lie firmly in the mid-18th century defensive strategy of the Spanish crown.

Though some claims asserted the fortress was destroyed by English forces in the early 19th century, historical testimony from a caretaker who lived into the mid-20th century confirms it remained in use until around the middle of the 19th century. Following its military use, stones and other materials from the castle were salvaged between 1875 and 1878 to assist in constructing the nearby Ermita de la Virgen de los Desamparados, a chapel that later became a parish church, along with other local buildings.

Opposite the castle’s entrance stands a small hermitage which had strong religious significance tied to local maritime devotion. In 1746, Archbishop Mayoral donated an image of the Virgin of the Desamparados and a chalice to this chapel, signifying the beginning of veneration towards this Marian figure by the community. After decades of deterioration, the castle lay in ruin until restoration efforts in the early 1980s aimed to revive its external appearance, albeit with modified interior elements.

Remains

The Castell de Moraira is characterized by its distinctive “bull’s foot” shaped floor plan, featuring a semi-circular façade that faces south. The fortress is constructed primarily of ordinary masonry, with outer walls faced in finely cut local coastal stone known as ashlar. These walls rise to about 10 meters in height, crowned by a low parapet wall containing seven cannon openings or embrasures, providing defensive capabilities.

The castle’s main entrance is situated on the northern side and was originally accessed via a wooden drawbridge reinforced with an iron plate, which crossed a moat surrounding the structure. During restoration, a fragment of this original bridge has been uncovered, offering a glimpse into the castle’s defensive mechanisms. Protection is further enhanced by a tenaza, a form of defensive outwork designed to create a kill zone, positioned in front of the entrance.

Internally, the layout includes three parallel sections, or naves, separated by two substantial walls. The central nave is the largest, occupying most of the fort’s over 200 square meters of internal space. Originally, all three naves were vaulted, with their ceilings constructed from solid brick, contributing both to structural stability and interior defense. Illumination came from three windows placed in the semi-circular southern façade, along with additional windows above the entrance. Two narrow vertical slits called loopholes on the northern side allowed light into a spiral staircase and a small room located in the eastern nave.

Restoration works in the 1980s altered the interior: two chimneys that flanked the central window were removed, the central courtyard was roofed, and the western nave’s mezzanine was not reconstructed, changing some original spatial features.

At the western corner of the building, visible ruins indicate what was likely a barbican or watch turret, structures designed for surveillance and additional defense. Just east of the castle lies a small rectangular cistern, called an aljibe, built with vaulted tosca stone ashlar typical of the period. This cistern served to collect and store water for the garrison stationed at the fort.

Facing the main entrance stands a modest hermitage originally serving as a chapel, which may have been located inside the castle in earlier times. This site holds significance as the starting point for the area’s maritime devotion to the Virgin of the Desamparados, connected to a 1746 donation that enhanced the chapel’s religious importance.