Cala Sant Esteve, the first line of defense for the port of Maó

PalmCala Sant Esteve is located five and a half kilometers from the center of Mahón and two kilometers from the Castle (formerly the Sant Felip district), to the right of the harbor entrance. It is a small inlet, 650 meters long and 50 meters wide, occupied by two buildings of great historical interest: to the left, the Castle of San Felipe, built by the Spanish in the 16th century, and to the right, Fort Marlborough, built by the British in the 18th century. Outside the cove, on a hill to the right of the harbor entrance, stands the Penjat Tower, dating from 1789. This string of structures had the sole purpose of protecting the entrance to the port of Mahón from a point considered a true Achilles' heel for its defense. Not surprisingly, Cala Sant Esteve was the usual entry point for pirate raids, including Barbarossa's in September 1535.

The itinerary we present aims to guide you in discovering the historical and heritage values of the area surrounding Cala Sant Esteve; a place frequented by bathers and hikers. We don't provide detailed schedules, only elevation gain and maximum altitude, because it's really just a leisurely stroll, to be enjoyed with all five senses. Cala Sant Esteve is not served by public transport; you can walk 2 km from the Castle, where there is a regular bus service from Maó (menorca.tib.orgThis is an initiative of the newspaper ARA Baleares and the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, written and guided by Fita a Fita, with the aim of making the permanent land-sea dialectic understood through the main ports of the Balearic Islands.

The route

[00 min] We set the start of our walk at the Cala Sant Esteve public parking lot, right where stage 19 of the Camí de Cavalls ends and stage 20 begins, the last section of the GR-223 towards Maó. From there, we follow the signs in the opposite direction, which will lead us along a beautiful old cobbled path, and down to the cove. In these first steps, we are accompanied by a serene and tranquil seascape. Suddenly, we reach the cove's edge, leave the GR trail, and turn left onto the paved road that hugs the sea along the right side of Sant Esteve.

A must-see first stop is Fort Marlborough, dating back to the 18th century. Located on the south side of the entrance to Mahón harbor, it was built by the British between 1720 and 1726. It is named after Sir John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, the most prominent British general of the era. This spectacular fortification, carved into the rock, was conceived and designed to protect Sant Felip Castle, built by the Spanish starting in 1555 and expanded by the British during their first occupation (1708-1756). A visit is well worthwhile to explore the inner workings of this remarkable structure, a testament to an important episode in the history of the island of Menorca during the turbulent 18th century.

We continued our walk and reached the end of the street, which ends in a kind of small square, surrounded on the right by charming old buildings such as Villa Salud, from 1934, and Villa Urbina, from 1954. To the left, the view of the coastal plain of the outer wall dominates. Between the square where we were and the sea, we saw an old structure, a kind of oven, which we could access by some stairs. The route continues from there. After this step, we emerged onto the outer part of Cala Sant Esteve and followed a path that heads south, with the Penjat tower as a landmark of our historical and heritage route.

For a moment, we look again towards Sant Felip Castle. Located on the south bank of the entrance to Mahón harbor, this fortification was built in the mid-16th century following the attack by the pirate Barbarossa in 1535, according to the plans of the Italian engineer Giovanni Battista Calvi, who also designed the walls of Vila and Palma, with their distinctive features. During successive British occupations, the castle was expanded until 1782, when, after a Spanish siege, it surrendered and the Spanish Crown regained sovereignty through the Treaty of Amiens. Charles III then ordered its demolition. A visit to the castle and exploring the underground galleries, built by the Spanish and English during their different occupations, is highly recommended.

A few easy steps along the path that runs above the fortifications lead us to Penjat Tower, also known as Stuart Tower. This is a large English coastal defense tower. It was built in 1798 by order of General Stuart, conqueror and governor of Menorca. It stands on the hill later known as the Hill of the Turk or the Hanging Hill, the latter being the more popular name. Its purpose was to guard the entrance to the port while the Castle of San Felipe was being rebuilt and, at the same time, protect Fort Marlborough from a possible siege. It has the typical structure of this type of tower: the ground floor as a powder and spare parts store, the middle floor to house the troops, and the upper terrace for artillery (cannon) and immediate defense.

From the north side of the tower, we head into the garrigue along a narrow path that runs alongside an irrigation ditch, connected to a now-dry spring. A short walk that should take us in a few minutes to the last section of the nineteenth stage of the Camí de Cavalls, now descending towards Cala Sant Esteve. Here we complete the loop, and only a few meters remain to the parking area.

Origin of the toponym

The origin of the cove's name refers to the discovery, in 415, near Jerusalem, of the relics of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, which were used as a symbol of Jewish violence against Christians. Through a series of events, these relics arrived in Mahón and were placed in a church near the city, the exact location of which is unknown. A local tradition places the landing of Saint Stephen's relics at the very spot where we are walking. This event, which occurred in 418, is the subject of a book, published in 2018 and written by Josep Amengual i Batle, entitled The Circular of Bishop Severus of Menorca on the Conversion of the Jews (418-2018). A Mediterranean Chronicle Before the Vandal Occupation (Institute of Menorcan Studies, 2018).

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