The Orientation of the churches of Ibiza
Keywords:
Orientations, Churches, Islands, Archaeoastronomy, IbizaAbstract
The landscape of Ibiza and Formentera is characterized by the conspicuous churches both in cities and in the fields. Until relatively recent times they were one of the main elements that created the insular landscape. The study of their orientation allows to identify several interesting phenomena. It is possible that some of the oldest churches, built a few decades after the Christian conquest, reflect orientations of previous buildings, notably mosques. In addition, the study of the churches intensively built during the XVIIIth century identifies two notable phenomena. On the one hand, the division of the island into two sectors. The north one, with orientations of the churches that follow the canonical precepts, and a southern sector, with orientations close to the meridian line. Possibly this division in the south is motivated by the need to build churches near the transit routes to facilitate their entry when used as spaces of refuge against the frequent Berber attacks. On the other hand, we identify the possible use of magnetic methods to obtain the orientation of these churches.
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