Vaulted Watermill

Category: Civil Architecture > Mill

District: Évora > Mora > Cabeção > Bairro Quinta da Laranjinha

Location

Nestled on the north bank of the Ribeira da Raia, in the locality of Cabeção, municipality of Mora, this water mill is situated in a typically Alentejo natural setting, part of the area known as Bairro Quinta da Laranjinha. The surrounding landscape is characterized by cork and holm oak groves (montados), where riparian vegetation, with cistus and rhododendrons, creates a serene and tranquil environment.

This location, integrated into the Natura 2000 Network, offers the opportunity to observe the rich biodiversity of the region. It is a point where nature and history meet, allowing for an immersion in the calm beauty of the Alentejo, although the mill, due to the surrounding vegetation, currently blends into the rocky landscape of the riverbank, being more easily visible from the south.

Traces of Ancient Engineering

The Abóbada Water Mill is an example of a small horizontal-wheel mill, or 'rodízio', built with great robustness. Its structure is notable for the solidity of its walls and the stone vaulted roof, constructions that resemble small fortifications and were designed to withstand the river's floods, which in times of higher flow could partially or totally submerge it.

The driving force of this mill came from water, which was dammed by a weir to the east and channeled by a stone leat to the "caboucos", the lower chambers where water pressure turned the grinding mechanisms. Although its interior is now largely filled with sand, accumulated over the years by the river's floods, and its horizontal wheels ('rodízios') no longer exist, the mill still reveals its impressive architecture adapted to the force of nature.

Legacy of Other Times

This mill, probably dating from the 18th century, is a valuable testament to the ancient milling systems that characterized rural life in the Alentejo. It represents an important historical and cultural legacy, recalling the times when hydraulic energy was essential for the subsistence of local communities, transforming grains into flour for daily bread.

Near the mill, about fifty meters away, on the northern slope, were the support structures that complemented the milling station, such as the houses that served as accommodation for the miller and his family. These dependencies, although currently in various states of conservation, help to complete the picture of a life dedicated to the land and the river, revealing the daily life of yesteryear in this corner of the Alentejo.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt