Interesting sites

1. PARISH CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF ATOCHA

The first chapel was built in Ariany in 1570 and was devoted to the Virgin of las Nieves. In 1717 King Felipe V awarded Marco Antonio Cotoner, owner of the lands of Ariany, the title of Marquess of Ariany for his support to the Bourbons in the Spanish War of Succession. The Marquess spent most of his time in Madrid and this is why he built a new church with a replica of the Virgin of Atocha for the people of Ariany (the original statue is located in Madrid). The construction of the church ended in 1737 and it was devoted to the Virgin of Atocha. The church was poorly built and a nave with three side chapels on each side was inaugurated in 1818. A crossing and a bell tower were added between 1908 and 1913. The facade is symmetrical and has a portico formed by three lancet arches, a terrace roof and a balustraded balcony. The five-section bell tower stands to the left of the apse and also has a terrace and a balustrade. The sides of the top section boast double windows with round arches. The nave has a Latin cross ground plan, a barrel vault and a dome supported by arches and scallops without lanterns. The light comes in through three large rose windows opening in the facade and the sides of the crossing. The apse altarpiece has three panels with two sections. The central panel contains the statue of the Virgin of Atocha and of san Cayetano, co-patron saint of the town, and the side panels contain statues of San Juan Bautista and San Sebastián. The main altar is located exactly under the centre of the dome. The monumental stone pulpit is attached to the front left corner of the crossing. In the centre, there is an organ built on top of part of the portico by the master organist Anton Cardell in 1927.

2. CROSSES OF THE MUNICIPALITY

Ariany has three crosses, the most beautiful of which is the old cross of sa Creu. This Neoclassical sandstone cross was built in 1856. The base, the shaft and the capital are octagonal and the cross is Latin with straight arms. On Easter Day the people of Ariany celebrate the Encounter of the Virgin and Christ by the cross and on Palm Sunday they bless the olive branches. If you enter Ariany along the Maria road, you will see the Cross of les Voltes de Son Bonany. It is much more modern than the previous cross and was built in 1969 in memory of Father Martí Truyols, who was the town’s priest for 37 years. The cross has no particular interest from an artistic point of view. Finally, the cross of la Plaça de l’Església i even more modern as it was given to the town by Gabriel Mateu in 1970.

3. WINDMILLS
There are seven more or less imposing windmills is the municipality of Ariany. The most beautiful windmill is Molí d'en Marinero, a late 18th century windmill tower with a base platform. It is the largest windmill tower in the municipality and was closed in 1920. It is located in the María road. The windmill of en Rigo (C / Vista Alegre s / n) is one of the oldest in the region and is located near the windmill of en Marinero. This diminished widmill tower was in operation until 1920 and has a niche that contains a statue of San Antonio. The windmill of en Guillem Gener is located in carrer de sa Canova, in the outskirts of Ariany. It is a slender windmill tower with a base and was the last windmill that was built in Ariany. The windmill of en Bernat Gener is located next to the windmill of en Guillem Gener. It is a windmill tower with a base built in 1910. It closed in 1934. Not very far away, in the Calderitx road, you will find the windmill of Ses Comunes or of en Xarop. Nowadays it is closed and preserves remains of the machinery. This windmill tower with a base stopped operating in 1920. The windmill of en Piuló is situated in Camí des Camp. Here you can see the remains of a much diminished windmill tower. It was built without a base or a base platform. It was abandoned in 1919 because it was built in a not very windy location. Finally, the windmill of sa Cabaneta is also worth mentioning. It is located in the estate with the same name that borders with Petra. This small windmill is very interesting.
4. WELLS
The wells of Bó and Juró are located very near each other in camí de Son Gibert or Petra Road. Pou Bó is the nearest well to Ariany. Until recently it still preserved the troughs for the livestock. It was named “Bó” (“good” in Catalan) because of the quality of its water. If you continue towards Petra you will find Pou Juró, where you can still see the troughs and the washing places. The well is covered by a roof. The water is of poorer quality and therefore it was mainly used for livestock and washing clothes.
5. S’AUBERG AND CAMÍ DE SA MARQUESA
Ariany was built around the house of s’Auberg. It is located by the church in carrer de s'Auberg. It has an outstading round arch portal with stone voussoirs. A stone-paved road connecting with camí de Son Gibert starts in front of the houses. It is the road or Camí de sa Marquesa, an old way that according to tradition linked the houses of S'Auberg with Son Sureda in Manacor. The rest of the road has disappeared and is very difficult to follow.
6. SALJUB
S’aljub (cistern in Catalan) is a structure from the past century. It is situated in the main square and it collected the water from most of the town streets. The sandstone structure is covered by a dome. Until the mid 20th century it preserved the troughs for the livestock and a neck to extract water for human consumption. It was recently cleaned and a glass was placed to see the cistern from outside. It has a capacity of 800,000 litres.