(as published in Roqueta magazine – June 2026 edition)
Local Residents remember Miquel Barçola i Cardona
Menorcan folklore is filled with dramatic tales of dangerous encounters with invading pirates who carried out coastal raids. While many of these stories have become embellished through legend and tradition, some are firmly supported by historical records. One such true story concerns a local man named Miquel Barçola i Cardona. Barçola was born around 30 years after the devastating pirate raid on Ciutadella that took place in the summer of 1558. A Turkish fleet attacked Ciutadella and after a week-long siege, the city was captured by the thousands of men of the corsair Piali Pasha. The Turks entered the city, looted it, and burned it to the ground. The 3,099 surviving inhabitants of Ciutadella were taken captive and sold into slavery in the Ottoman Empire, along with residents from surrounding villages. Altogether, 3,452 Menorcans were sold in the slave markets of Constantinople. The obelisk in the Plaça des Born was erected in the 19th century by Josep Contrado in memory of the tragedy. It bears the inscription: “Here we fought until death for our religion and our country in the year 1558.”
The Battle at Son Saura in 1644
The years following this attack were marked by repeated raids, murders, looting of farmhouses and the theft of livestock. One such raid took place on the north coast of the island next to the beaches of Son Saura on 9 July 1644, at S’Olla de Ses Coves. Miquel Barçola i Cardona, who was Mayor of Alaior at the time, organised the defence against the invaders. Commanding around 200 local men armed with muskets, flintlock pistols and crossbows, he and his brave but largely untrained force succeeded in defeating the marauders. Tragically, Barçola himself was killed during the fighting. An obelisk commemorating Barçola and the Battle of S’Olla de ses Coves was constructed near the site of the battle in Son Parc. Local residents discovered the memorial, which has sadly fallen into disrepair. The original cross which adorned the top, was lying in pieces nearby. After researching the historical event and finding musket balls on the ground dating to the period, they approached the Mayor of Es Mercadal and asked for help to commemorate the event and restore the monument, which is hidden behind undergrowth a few metres back from Avenida de Mercadal.
The standard Miquel Barçola i Cardona carried into battle is displayed in the Alaior Town Hall and it became incorporated into the flag of the town. Barçola’s reputation was romanticised in the 19th-century, then later used by both the Primo de Rivera dictatorship and the Franco regime as patriotic propaganda. More recently historians have stripped away the myth and returned to the original archival evidence. A restoration of the flag in 2010 revealed that the diagonal cross was originally red rather than ochre.
A Fiesta in Honour of Miquel Barçola i Cardona
Every year on 9 July, a commemoration takes place in Ciutadella to remember l’Any de sa Desgràcia — “the Year of the Disaster.” Inspired by this tradition, the residents of Son Parc organised a fiesta to celebrate the life of Miquel Barçola i Cardona and recognise the courage that he and his companions displayed. In conjunction with the Town Hall, the first ever Son Parc Fiesta took place during the last weekend of June 2026 which combined cultural, sporting, musical and social gathering in his honour.
Thanks to the Town Hall & The Son Parc Owners Association, the monument has now been fully restored. A small ceremony took place as part of the Son Parc Fiesta 2026 to mark completion of the project and to honour the heroic efforts of Miquel Barçola i Cardona and his defenders almost 400 years ago.
The monument is located on Av. de Mercadal. (Opposite the new development 'Lar de Mar homes' and close to the track from Son Parc to Coves Noves).