Basílica of Son Bou

Monuments | Son Bou - Alaior

At the easternmost tip of the beach of Son Bou there is a peculiar rectangular-shaped building, oriented from east to west. It is the Basilica of Son Bou, dated in the 5th century, one of Menorca’s oldest testimonies to the Paleo-Christian era. It is a basilica with three naves and a tripartite chevet where there is an apse flanked by auxiliary chambers. The church was entered via a portico of which little remains, and the narthex or vestibule where the faithful who had not yet been baptised were located. It has been confirmed that above the narthex there was a high choir which overlooked the naves of the basilica, accessed by means of some steps, a few remains of which have been found. The last central section, closer to the apse, is slightly raised in relation to the level of the naves, and separated from the rest of the church by inner doors. The paving was very simple, made of mortar. The two chambers adjoining the apse are the prothesis or propositions room, on the left, and the diaconicum or diacons’ chamber, on the right, where the utensils for celebrating liturgy were held. Everything would appear to indicate that the baptistery was located in a small free-standing room that may have been close to the portico, and which now no longer exists. By contrast the small baptism pool, which was moved to its location in the prothesis, beside the baptistery, has been preserved. It consists of a cylindrical limestone with a lobed cross cut out of it. On the outside, beside the southern wall of the basilica, there was a small cemetery, some of the tombs of which can still be seen. The basilica was destroyed by a fire in the 18th century