The work project has been approved.
The Department of the Environment, Biosphere Reserve and Cooperation will restore the tower of the four gates of the Lazareto, which is located in the eastern part of the complex. The Executive Council has approved the project to carry out the work, with updated prices.
The project involves the complete refurbishment of the tower, as the south wall of the facility and part of the upper gallery are currently damaged. The tower was an access control and surveillance point within the organisation of the island’s Lazaretto. It is formed by the extension in height of two parallel walls running in an N-S direction. The four gates that give the tower its name are located in the centre of each face: the north and south gates open onto small courtyards and also have a gate. The tower is one of a family of four watchtowers, dungeons and storerooms on the site.
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The Department of the Environment will restore the tower of the four gates of Lazareto
The Department of Environment, Biosphere Reserve and Cooperation commissioned the project intending to preserve the historic complex. The tower is part of the original construction of the Lazaretto and its architectural and landscape layout is perfectly integrated into the environment, which has a strong historical character. The patent, of which the tower of the four gates is part, is located at the eastern end of the island, forming a roughly triangular enclosure, surrounded by a double wall and divided into three interior sectors. The three areas house three contagion pavilions. They are separated by walls so that all movement of the patent has to pass through the four-door tower, which serves as a control point for access and supply. The three courtyards surrounding the tower create a free space of separation between each of the three sectors and the tower itself to create a barrier to disease transmission, as conceived, and extra security. The patent, apart from the tower access, had two more exits: the cemetery and, through a patio, to the ramp leading to Cala Teulera.
‘The project proposes the comprehensive restoration of the tower of the four gates for the complete stabilisation and recovery of the property. Its historical value and the degree of heritage protection it enjoys require that the restoration work be aimed at recovering the original value of the tower. That is to say, its basic architectural configuration and the materials with which it was built, although some reinforcement solutions will require the placement of contemporary materials, but they will be kept hidden. In this way, the dismantling and reconstruction of part of the tower will be done with the same materials that were previously scrapped,’ explains Simón Gornés, Minister of the Environment, Biosphere Reserve and Cooperation of the Consell Insular de Menorca (Menorca Island Council).