By CCMOLLA [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The municipal district of Capdepera, which was definitively separated from Artà in 1858, is Mallorca´s easternmost territory. It covers an area of 54.9 km2 and has a coastline which extends for 25 km and which contains some of Mallorca´s best beaches, as well as important tourist resorts such as Cala Rajada.
The origins of the village of Capdepera are found in its castle – a walled triangular fortress located at the top of a hill, which affords spectacular views and from which the neighbouring island of Menorca can be seen on clear days. In 1341 construction of the castle was documented as being at an advanced stage, with a 9-metre-high wall topped by a rampart walk and four towers to improve its defensive capacities. At the highest point of the complex is the Miquel Nunis Tower, which has Moorish origins and which is square; its current form, with a cylindrical section, is due to renovations in the 19th century which converted it into flour mill. This is the oldest construction within the grounds of the castle, and it already existed when King Jaume II commissioned the building of the castle. There is also a small church, work on which was already under way in 1316. The primitive church comprised the current first lateral chapel and the first section of the main nave. From this period the Gothic sculpture of Christ on the Cross remains, which was made in orange-tree wood. Over time it has undergone several reforms, with the last expansion taking place in 1703. The largest building of the castle is the Governor´s House; this was constructed in the 18th century at the centre of the castle grounds as a residence for the governor of the troops in charge of defending the zone.
From the castle a network of narrow streets with old houses spreads out, which are a testimony to Capdepera´s medieval origins.
The Church of Sant Bartomeu is the other notable building within Capdepera. It was constructed in the 19th century and is a rectangular construction with a single nave with a vault roof and lateral chapels.
The fishing and commercial activity of the dock of Cala Rajada, as well as the production of all types of palm baskets, which today only remains as a residual craft activity, meant that Capdepera had a more dynamic and diversified economy than the rest of Mallorca in the 19th century. These factors favoured the introduction of new ideas, and in 1879 an evangelical community was founded, and this became firmly rooted in the town thanks to the socio-cultural work it carried out with the more disadvantaged sections of society.