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Mercy Watermill

Category: Civil Architecture > Mill

District: Évora > Mora > Pavia > Quinta do Gião

Location

The Misericórdia Watermill, also known as Balança Mill, is located in a discreet valley, rural and fluvial in character, on Quinta do Gião farm, in Pavia, Mora municipality. It is specifically situated on the south bank of the Tera Stream, near its confluence with the Freixo Stream.

This natural setting, with its rugged terrain and rock outcrops, is punctuated by vegetation characteristic of the Mediterranean climate, such as holm oaks and olive trees, which frame the landscape. Near the mill, the presence of a large eighty-year-old orange tree stands out, adding a note of color and life to the scenery.

Architectural Features and Functioning

Built between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this watermill stands out for its architecture. Unlike many older mills in the region, it was not designed to be wholly or partially submerged by the stream's waters. It features a common gable roof and a simple, rectangular masonry structure, plastered and whitewashed, with an ochre-toned base.

For its operation, water was skillfully channeled from the upstream weir to the caboucos (the place where the wheel turns) through an ingenious system of stone channels, complemented by sluice gates and ladrões for flow control. Inside, elements such as the stone floor, sometimes reusing fragments of millstones, and traces of the mechanisms that bear witness to the ancient art of milling can still be observed. Accompanying the mill, approximately twenty meters to the north, are the support structures, which included the miller's house and a stable.

A Legacy of the Milling Past

The Misericórdia Watermill represents a valuable testament to the milling activity that once marked the life of rural communities in Alentejo. This small undershot watermill, with its single aferido (pair of millstones), was essential for processing cereals such as oats, barley, and fava beans, intended mainly for animal feed, such as pigs.

The recent history of this mill is particularly notable, as it was one of the last in the region to remain in operation. Until a few years ago, the miller João Augusto Rodrigues Balança, great-great-grandson of the first owner and born on site in 1921, sporadically continued his trade. The installation of an electric motor in the 20th century allowed milling to continue during the summer, when the flow of the Tera Stream decreased, thus ensuring the continuity of an ancestral practice.

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

Coordinates DD: 38.888493628571, -7.9912496857143
Coordinates DMS: 38°53'18.6"N 07°59'28.5"W

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