Kiko, you tourist guide

Discover the secrets that keep the mysterious stories of Menorca

​When someone says that Menorca is magical, I always remember some mysterious legends. Of those that are told in a low voice and that keep us with open eyes between incredulous and surprised. Is Menorca fantasy or real? Let's find out together because today I'm going to tell you a story.

 

Many, many years ago, very close to the Royal Son Bou Family Club, there was a small town, Sa Canessia. Have you seen it? No, of course, because it was swallowed by the waters of the sea that rose until flooding it completely. But it still exists. On the seabed of Son Bou there are submerged remains.

An old villa in Menorca

It is true? It looks like it is. Some archaeologists have dived in the area and say that you can still see some columns and long parallel streets made with large rectangular stones. From the air, 300 meters from the beach and 15 meters deep, you can glimpse the shapes of these ruins. Many of them have been covered by Posidonia over time. And all are very close to the remains of the Paleo-Christian Basilica of Son Bou

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  • "I have traveled many seas and I have heard many stories of submerged cities, why did I not know this? Who were its inhabitants?" Hooky says.
  • "Where were theywhen the city flooded? Why did it disappear?" Cuqui asks with wide eyes.

The Commander Cousteau in Menorca

In the 20th century the famous ocean researcher, Commander Cousteau, came with his research vessel, the Calypso, and anchored in Son Bou to inspect the beach and the submerged city

Archaeologists such as the Menorcan Josep Mascaró Pasarius have investigated the submerged walls of Sa Canessia and they were aware of the existence of this town by writings of the eighteenth century.

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Journalists who made a television program about the islands went into the waters of Son Bou, dived and managed to record some images of the stone structures that are at the bottom of the sea.

Who knows the secrets of Sa Canessia?

But who lived in Sa Canessia? And how did they live? Nobody knows that. It continues to be a mystery like the phenomenon that caused the flooding of the village.

I can not answer the questions of Cuqui and Hooky because these submerged ruins in the sea of Son Bou have been explored very little. Some people say that they are only a "natural effect" of the bottom of the sea. But all those people who have dived there have seen the big stones and they are sure that there was a city there. How did it sink in the sea? When has there been a geological phenomenon so important to swallow an entire city?

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We may never know and, in the meantime, the remains of Sa Canessia sleep in the waters waiting for us to discover their secrets.

Brilliant towers emerge from the sea in Menorca

Is it possible that there are two submerged cities on the island? In Ciutadella, the legend tells that on full moon nights old fishermen have seen large towers emerging from the waters. The moon is reflected in them and they produce terror and attraction to those who look at them.

But is it just a legend? A story that is told to children? Maybe not.

This story tells of a great city that can be reached from the ground. Very close to Ciutadella there is a large cave with an interior lake and stalactites and stalagmites. It is the Cova de s'Aigo and could be the entrance that leads to the mysterious city of Parella.

A treasure in the lagoon

In the great lake of this cave have been found remains of ceramics and pieces of glass. They believe that it was one of the hiding places of the treasures accumulated by the pirates that roamed Menorca a few centuries ago.

And they say that there are also a series of underground passages that lead to the city of Parella. Has anyone been there? No. Or at least nobody has told.

The legend of the city of Parella

This legend explains that formerly an arm of land united the islands of Menorca and Mallorca. These lands were conquered by the forces of the devil and that is why God decided to submerge them in the depths of the sea.

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The sailors believe that the inhabitants of Parella continue living underwater. And they say that if the day of San Juan, June 24, you are in Ciutadella and look west you can see the city emerging from the transparent waters of Menorca. And, if you listen carefully, you will hear the sounds of the bells that turn in the turrets.

Only chance will break the spell

And history assures that if, by chance, 7 women named Juana and 7 men named Juan are on the seashore that day, the spell will be broken. And the city of Parella will rise from the depths with its inhabitants.

  • "Have you ever heard those bells, Hooky?" Cuqui asks. "You have sailed many times through Ciutadella".
  • I had heard this story but I have never seen the towers or heard the bells. What a scare! I think I would have run away, " Hooky answers.

Well, now they are studying the Cova de s'Aigo because it is very beautiful and they are going to open it to the public so that we can all enjoy this natural underground space. Will you sign up to visit with me?

You see that Menorca has some mysterious and enigmatic stories. They all have their fantasy part and their real part. Someday we will discover the secrets that keep the deep waters of the island. Do you know other stories of Menorca? Which one did you like best?

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