Sant Josep de sa Talaia

Village

Seal

Sant Josep de sa Talaia

Location of the town in Ibiza

Coordinates: 38°55′18″N 1°17′36″E / 38.92167°N 1.29333°E

Country

Spain

Region

Balearic Islands

Population (2006)

• Total

2,341

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Website

Town council website

Sant Josep de sa Talaia (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsaɲ ʒuˈzɛb də sə təˈɫajə], Spanish: San José Obrero) is a village and municipality of the Balearic Islands in western Ibiza. The village is 10.7 miles (17.2 km) west of the capital Eivissa and is Located on the PM803 highway between Eivissa town and Sant Antoni de Portmany. The town is 6.5 miles (10.5 km) from the island's airport. As of 2006, the population of the municipality was 2341.

In the early years of the 17th century the population of village had grown considerably. At this time the nearest place of worship was at Sant Antoni de Portmany and the local population needed a church somewhat closer to their homes. In 1726 the inhabitants of the area then named es Vedrans and Benimussa asked the archbishop of Tarragona, Manuel de Samaniego y Jaca, who was visiting the island, to approved the building of a new church. The archbishop agreed to this request and on 15 August 1729 the first mass was held on the site.

A master builder from Denia in province of Alicante, called Pere Ferro, was employed as construction supervisor in 1730 and construction began. Master Pere Ferro had a good reputation and had previously been employed by Pope Pius VI to work on the renovations of cathedral of Santa Maria de Eivissa in the capital. The master builder was assisted by members of the local families in the construction. Even the women and young girls of the village lent a hand by carrying water from the "Font des Verger" well to the site. In 1731 the last keystone was laid in the vaulted roof which marked the completion of the church. The church which had been dedicated to Saint Joseph and in 1785 it became the Parish church.

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Wikipedia