Wikiloc | HEIM - Fontilles, a model of coloniy and healthcare architecture (EN) Trail

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HeiM Project - Heritage in Motion

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Distance: 2.27 mi
Elevation gain: 217 ft
Technical difficulty: Moderate
Elevation loss: 325 ft
Max elevation: 921 ft
TrailRank: 47
Min elevation: 757 ft
Trail type: One Way

Time: one hour 50 minutes
Coordinates: 333
Uploaded: July 17, 2020
Recorded: July 2020

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near Campell, Valencia (España)

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Itinerary description

La Vall de Laguar, located in the comarca [small administrative division] of La Marina Alta (in the Valencian Autonomous Region) is a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains and exceptional natural wonders worth exploring and enjoying, such as the Barranco del Infierno [Hell Ravine] (an authentic ethnographic route due to its river forms, geology, cave art and protected species) or the Cavall Verd [Green Horse] mountain range, with a multitude of springs, fountains and exceptional spots.
The name Laguar —from the Arabic “Al-Agwar—” means “caves” and reminds us of the conditions that characterised the original habitat. Mesolithic and Neolithic cave communities lived there, thus making it one of the reference sites for the "Rock Art of the Mediterranean Arch of the Iberian Peninsula" which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.
In the thirteenth century, the Muslim inhabitants of the area established strategic checkpoints and defensive fortifications, and the valley witnessed many clashes that are the origin of the Moors and Christians festivals in this area.
The valley’s rough orography as well as its inaccessibility not only have contributed to its preservation but also have formed a scattered habitat, made up of small towns: Benimaurell (Poble de Dalt “Upper Village”), Campell (Poble de Baix, "Lower Village”), Fleix (Poble d'Enmig, “The Village in the Middle”) —where the Town Hall stands— and Fontilles. All these villages constitute a single municipality.
The colony sanatorium Fontilles, located within this context of great natural and environmental value at an altitude of 250 m, was built to accommodate those affected by "mycobacterium leprae", known as Hansen’s bacillus in honour of the Norwegian doctor who discovered it in 1873. Such patients lived on the fringes of society in caves or country houses and in poor hygiene and eating conditions. Fontilles Sanatorium was inaugurated in 1909 under the auspices of the Jesuit Carlos Ferris and the lawyer Joaquín Ballester, assisted by the San Francisco de Borja Board —created for this purpose.
Hygienist medicine proposed the improvement of environmental conditions as a treatment for this disease: air, water and sun were essential; hence the choice of this heavenly, secluded and safe place. A second trend practiced various clinical trials. The advances made by both currents were published in the Journal of Leprology since 1924, the cure for the disease being achieved from 1982 onwards with a specific multi-therapy —dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin— recommended by WHO.
Nowadays, Fontilles is the last leprosarium in Europe. For more than half a century, specialised training courses have been offered there. More than 26 projects to combat leprosy and other poverty-related diseases are being implemented in 14 African, Latin American and Asian countries, benefiting nearly half a million people.
From the very beginning, the medical and service staff, members of the Society of Jesus, Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception and other volunteers have developed their own care style for the sick in the sanatorium: “the spirit of Fontilles” made up of “cures and consolation.”
In Spain, Fontilles stands out as a unique example of autonomous management dedicated to research, medical treatment and the development of policies for the social integration of chronically ill people into a standardised and self-sufficient social structure.
The total route length is 3,65 km, with 50-meter difference in level.

Waypoints

Campell cemetery - Access branch to Fontilles

The topographical conditions made it necessary for Fontilles to undertake actions aimed at improving accessibility, the first operation after the acquisition of the land in 1904 consisting in widening the bridle path that led to Fontilles rural area. The division of the land into small plots belonging to more than seventy owners made its expropriation difficult. You can see the ruins of Atzavares Castle on the left of the road, and the walls of the Campell cemetery on the right. Atzavares Castle —a small fortification of Muslim origin— is visible both from the access to Fontilles and from inside the enclosure. The Moors, who concentrated here days before their definitive expulsion after the order dictated by King Philip III in 1609, were attacked by Christian troops, which forced them to take refuge in the Peñón de Laguar or Cavall Verd.

Map of Fontilles

Fontilles is the fruit of society’s efforts. It boasted four buildings when the sanatorium was inaugurated; there are approximately thirty at present. Little by little new rooms were built, spaces landscaped and walls as well as stone stairs constructed —always in harmony with nature and forming a peaceful, pleasant and respectful habitat. The map shows the buildings, the year when they were built, and their current use, which often differs from the original one. Despite the variety of its buildings, Fontilles presents a certain degree of unity in its architecture —provided by the treatment of façades, in local natural stone or with white painted coatings. Many of the currently abandoned and highly deteriorated buildings could in fact be refurbished and adapted either to meet present-day social needs or to show the historical trajectory of this endearing place.

Caretaker and staff’s house

The caretaker’s house which consisting of a basement and two floors was built next to the gateway to Fontilles (demolished in 1964) that formed part of the walled enclosure. There lived the doorman in charge of raising the access fence for personnel entering or leaving. Later on, a group of houses built together with the porter’s lodge accommodated the service staff of the sanatorium. Following the closure of the roof after the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), the Fontilles magazine office and a Fontilles Board (of Trustees) school for employees' children were installed there. In the 1960s, the mixed school —run by a woman teacher— had over 20 students. There was also an adult school for the highly numerous illiterate patients elsewhere.

Garage and warehouse

This building characterised by a rectangular floor plan and its curved Arabic tile roof had a rural character and adapted very easily to its changes of use over time. After originally housing the staff who took part in the construction of the first premises, it subsequently served as a henhouse and dairy, becoming a garage and warehouse in more recent times. On its northern façade there is an iron sculpture of San Francisco de Borja (Saint Francis Borgia). A house for the electrical mechanic together with a transformer was built at the back part —accessed through a narrow street on the right of the building. There lies a square that, apart from serving as a car park contains a staircase which goes up tothe Jesuits’ Residence. Vilariño wrote the following in 1925: “We have a beautiful dairy run by the sick from which they get a lot of milk, although not at all times, because the sanatorium does not provide enough to give rich feed... the shortage of money is noticeable in all cases".

Reception and administration

This was the building that marked the entrance to the sanatorium from the start. The first construction only included the central body, to which the two lateral ones were added ten years later, and another renovation incorporated the rear terrace oriented to the east in 1933. This building is currently home to the management, administration and archive sections, along with the library. An aerial picture of Fontilles can be seen at the entrance, the sanatorium information point with an exhibition of published materials being located opposite. Before entering the exhibition room about the historical evolution of Fontilles, it is worth looking at the photographs of the individuals who have influenced the life and work of the colony. Opposite the entrance to the building is the door to the terrace, from which one can enjoy views both of the Fontilles site itself and of the Marina Alta coastline. Antonio wrote this in 2008: “When a sick person arrived, we always tried to welcome him, to integrate him. The doctor or the family used to tell us that we were leaving for six months and when we arrived, we understood that it was for ever. It was hard to accept, but it was soon overcome. We were happy here”.

Hut of the Fontilles meteorological observatory

This site’s strategic position alongside its enviable natural and geo-environmental conditions were decisive for its choice as the location of one of the Meteorological Observatories of the Spanish (national/state) Meteorological Agency (AEMET for its acronym in Spanish). Since halfway through the 20th century, the daily collection of temperature and rainfall measurements has made it possible to carry out climatological studies about the valley. Fontilles enjoys a mild average annual temperature (17.5°C) and rainfall exceeds 850 litres/m² per year —almost three times as much as the average for the Alicante province. Its mild weather, together with the abundance of rain and plants give it a special and highly appreciated microclimate. The whole area enjoys the atmospheric dynamics which is typical of the Mediterranean climate with storms happening mainly in autumn and spring.

Fontilles Memorial

In the space formerly occupied by San Rafael Sick Ward, no longer operational because it did not meet the necessary health and safety conditions, two small pavilions have been built for the Fontilles Memorial. The first pavilion —dedicated to the founders’ memory— represents the hearth of the house of Mr. Joaquín Ballester. It is here that the laments of a leper neighbour were heard while Mr. Ballester and Father Ferris were sitting together by the fireplace in January 1901. This actually led them to think about the idea of finding a place that could house these sick people who lived in isolation and in such deplorable conditions. The second pavilion pays tribute to the groups that visited and continue to visit the sanatorium in order to make a financial and playful contribution to its maintenance. The memory of these groups is very often symbolised by a monument: San Jorge de Alcoy, the Lady of Elche,... The stone benches, the palm trees, some images and garden areas still remain from the previous period.

Bar and laundry

This facility built with load-bearing masonry walls made of stone and sand from the surroundings and covered with curved Moorish tiles is still used as a laundry, linen and ironing room. All the clothes used in the sanatorium premises are washed here. The body meant to serve as a bar for visitors which was attached to it in 1957 does not follow the construction pattern of the laundry, from which it is distinguished by its façade painted in white and the small terrace in front. The bar —run by the sick and attended by both patients and visitors as well as sanatorium staff until very recently— was a very popular place because of its location opposite the theatre. In the words of Manuel (2008): “People have the wrong idea about the sick. The other day we were in the bar having a coffee and some gentlemen who saw us there so relaxed asked us, "Did this use to be a leper hospital? And we started laughing. They thought that did not exist any longer.”

Dr. González Castellano Pavilion

The disinfection machine was installed in this pavilion. Disinfection and waste disposal constituted a priority issue for the sanatorium to begin operating in 1909 by Royal Decree. The arrival of the disinfection stove and the irrigation equipment in Fontilles was a prerequisite for the Board’s Governing Body to be authorised to open the leprosarium to public service. The pavilion —later enlarged with metal trusses on the upper floor to create a covered space where clothes could be hung— likewise served as a guard post for the personnel in charge of surveillance at the Fontilles premises. It now functions as a classroom where specialised training for the treatment of leprosy and other poverty-related diseases is provided. The annual courses for medical and paramedical staff began in 1948 and have been attended by more than 3,000 people.

Theatre

Isolation and hygiene were the most effective remedies in the early years. The building has a ground floor that served as a bathing house. Within hygiene stood out the usefulness of hydrotherapy, which improved skin injuries and favoured blood and lymphatic circulation. It consisted in hot baths to which antiseptic and astringent infusions were added: iron sulphate, eucalyptus leaves and pine bark. The upper floor —illuminated with oculi reminiscent of cabin windows— was used as an assembly hall with a tribune for the presidency, a central space for the sick and a side space for the healthy staff. It was adapted to house the theatre and the cinema room in 1958. Both the patients themselves and the groups who came to the sanatorium held theatrical plays, musical performances or dances there. Films were shown on Sundays. Sick people, workers and people from nearby towns attended these recreational activities in an atmosphere of coexistence that left no room for rejection. Father Vilariño (1925) said: “The decorations are not like those of the Real (the Royal Palace of Valencia), but nothing compares to their cheerfulness and singularity; how nicely performances develop is a prodigy considering how isolated many of these people have been from society and how little time they can devote to these things, along with the effort that rehearsals and preparations must have meant for them".

Church of the Sacred Heart

A tall, large and compact building with a small belfry and a Neo-Romanesque door that opens to a three-lobed window; on its sides, modest stained-glass windows and three buttresses complete the structure. The tomb of the two founders —Father Carlos Ferris (*1856 +1924) and Don Joaquín Ballester (*1865 + 1951)— are placed at the foot of the altar. The construction of this church —which has been maintained to the present day without any major modifications— took place in parallel to that of the Jesuit Fathers’ first residence. Inside, the sick occupied the central body (separating men and women) and the healthy staff attended the services from a platform located on the right side. The choir is located above the entrance, the high wooden altar being presided over by the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, accompanied by those of Saint. Francis Borgia and Saint Francis Xavier. This church was a centre of great religious activity in days gone by. Chapels have now been installed in the Hospital and in the Geriatric Hospital where the residents of both facilities can attend religious celebrations; therefore, the Church of the Sacred Heart is hardly ever used. As Sister Joaquina (2008) said, “This was a great town and as such they celebrated the festivities of Easter, Heart of Jesus, Corpus Christi, Fallas... We were always on the move here even if it was not a holiday.”

Franciscan Sisters and Auxiliary Nurses’ Residence

It is a three-storey building with a more elongated central body and two small side ones advancing on the central one. The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception lived in Fontilles from the foundation of the sanatorium in 1909 until they left in 2013, their stay being only interrupted during the Second Republic and the Spanish Civil War. This was their last residence, although they had previously occupied others that were destroyed or transformed to accommodate other services. The time spent in Fontilles was exclusively dedicated to prayer and the care of the sick, supervising and collaborating in all the tasks related to hygiene, cures, cooking, administration, clinic, laboratory... As the Jesuit Father Antonio (2008) said referring to the sick: “They loved the nuns so much that they became angry when the nuns went on spiritual retreat [...] And they said “I am going with the Lord”, to which the sick answered: why does the Lord want so many women?”

Fountains and watering basins

It is common to find water resources all over Fontilles —after all, the very name Fontilles derives from “fuentecillas” [small fountains]. A drinking water tank with a capacity of 2,000 m³ was built at the back of the warehouse and garage building —and next to the transformer and the electrician’s house— to supply water during the Second Republic. This rectangular-shaped tank is surrounded and covered with earth to prevent heat. In the vicinity of the residence where the sisters and their assistants lived, there are springs and watering basins for the irrigation of the nearby gardens and orchards.

Joaquín Ballester Pavilion

This pavilion originally named after Virgen de los Desamparados [Our Lady of the Forsaken] was built to accommodate the first lepers, conveniently separated by sexes through a separate entrance door, collective wards, and adjoining rooms for guards and service staff. This rectangular-floor-plan building erected with thick walls of stone masonry and local sand has protruding bodies at the head to facilitate separation by sexes and a gabled roof with curved Arabic tiles. The division into two large collective halls was initially criticised by the Alicante municipal architect, in whose opinion the other buildings should follow an individualistic rather than a collective criterion. The Diputación Provincial de Alicante [Alicante Provincial Government] restored it a few years ago: in addition to dividing the collective rooms into individual ones with built-in toilets, the two ends were compartmentalised instead of being treated as meeting spaces. The staff who participate in training courses or visit Fontilles due to other reasons stay in these rooms for short periods of time. According to a report of the Valencian Medical Institute (1904), the patient “must be treated there with the consideration and affection that he has missed from the beginning of his disease; the chance to fraternise with his companions there will make his existence so pleasant to him that he will feel sorry to leave on the day when he is discharged —if lucky”.

Central pavilion and Kitchen

The central pavilion, located in front of the clinic, was destined to be the headquarters of the National Institute of Leprology after its creation in 1927. The different medical specialities and the canteen were installed on the ground floor, the upper floor being occupied by the clinical and research laboratories, the infirmary and the wardrobe. The care and material assistance of the sick was carried out by doctors, trainees, volunteer nurses and auxiliary nurses, volunteer ladies supervised by the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. The menu for the sick was made up of milk from the sanatorium’s cowsheds, eggs from its henhouses as well as fruit and vegetables from the orchards, along with meat and white fish that arrived from the fish market in Denia. The Sisters and Auxiliary Nurses’ pavilion consisted of a ground floor with a private chapel and an upper floor with bedrooms, dining rooms and a kitchen. It was demolished in 1930 to build the kitchen, the bread oven, the steam boiler and the service lift for Santa Isabel Pavilion —today’s Father Ferris Hospital. Together with the Central Pavilion, the kitchen forms an elongated front which occupies the left side of the square. The central body still boasts the clock which used to be in the previous building.

Former Clinic

This highly representative building which has remained almost unchanged since its origins is characterised by the three elongated windows at the front and back of the advanced bodies, with a central staircase on the ground floor. The ground floor façades are plastered in white for hygienic purposes, whereas the semi-basement has a stone and mortar base. It housed an operating theatre, X-ray rooms, examination and treatment rooms. It was later used as a laboratory and, in the last stage, as a residence for volunteers.

Rehabilitation pavilion

The former women’s ward —for some 40 sick women— is a unique room with a visually powerful stone façade. Doubts exist about whether it was originally destined for women or for men. During the Second Republic (1931-39), the nuns’ ward was rehabilitated for the sick, and this one was used for the rehabilitation of disabled patients. Father Antonio (2008) said “You see them (sick people) laughing with those lives and those stories full of bitterness and abandonment, and it amazes me to see how they have swallowed their life and moved ahead.”

Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Garden is located on the left side of the Central Pavilion. Although the image of the Sacred Heart is still preserved on a globe covered with trencadís [mosaic-like] tiles, the old pond which surrounded it has disappeared. Visitors can often find religious images in the landscaped areas of Fontilles since spirituality has always been a cornerstone of this health centre. Most of those non-plant ornamental elements were created during the first decades of the 20th century —the era of Gaudí’s Modernism. Some of them used trencadís, a type of ornamental application of mosaic from ceramic fragments —basically tiles— joined with mortar. Peculiar visual effects are achieved by using fragments of different decorated pieces in new compositions completely unrelated to the drawings of the entire pieces.

Staircases and stone walls

This square is enclosed by a large wall to which a double stone V-shaped staircase is attached that bridges the existing gap and provides access to the hospital. Stone walls have always been characteristic of Fontilles and its surroundings. On the one hand, they prevented runoff during torrential rains; and on the other, they retained the water needed to develop farming; hence why walls had to be repaired as soon as they suffered any deterioration. The art of building dry stone walls —a tradition in rural areas of Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland— has been recorded by UNESCO on its Representative List of Humanity’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO’s Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage considered that “dry stone walls play an essential role in the prevention of landslides, floods and avalanches.”

Father Ferris Hospital

The developed area of Fontilles can hardly be seen from outside, except for the wall that surrounds the site and the four towers of Father Ferris Hospital —formerly Santa Isabel Pavilion. The Hospital —an imposing building with a square floor plan, two floors, a central cloister-like courtyard with galleries on the upper floors and four towers on the corners— stands on a lower floor which acts as a foundation made of stone and mortar that sharply contrasts with the upper floors plastered in white. The façade is of great simplicity, with no openings other than the entrance doors. The interior courtyard, surrounded by a glazed gallery, was designed as a place for socializing and gatherings. Both the tiles and the benches, along with the fountains and other pieces, evoke the period of its construction (1926-1929) and its design was intended to enjoy not only the light and the sun but also the comfortable inner spaces. Father Antonio (2008) explained this to us: “I have never found any place where I can learn so much humanity. Fontilles has always stood out for its joy. Everyone lived and still lives to make others happy. They overcome bitterness to the point of joking about their illness or their handicap. I have seen wonderful and impressive things".

Apartments for married couples

This three-storey building with a central body set back from the sides is organised around two central corridors parallel to each other between which there are two ventilation courtyards, a light courtyard and all the facilities. The complex —painted in white with two hipped roofs and whose lower part is covered with a stone plinth— was built to move the nuns after the collapse of what is now the kitchen (where they lived at the time). It served as a ward for the sick during the Second Republic, and a terrace was built to join the two side bodies. Later occupied by sick couples, it is currently inhabited by some Fontilles residents.

Borgia Geriatric Center

The building consists of a central body and two on its sides advanced over the central one, three floors and two inner patios. The ends of the main façade are finished off with two tower- like cylinders. It was originally built to house the residence for sick women, who occupied it until 1991, when they were transferred to Father Ferris Hospital. It has undergone several transformations, the last one to adapt it to its current use. It was opened as the Borgia Geriatric Centre —specialising in the care of elderly people with various degrees of physical or mental dependence— in 1998, after the signing of an agreement between Generalitat Valenciana [Valencian Region Government] and the Fontilles Board. The residence has 24-hour nursing care and clinical auxiliaries, as well as health, social, family, psychological and psychiatric care.

Fontilles Wall

Fontilles covers an area of 739,000 m², protected by a 3.5km-long and 3m-high wall. The walled enclosure was built between 1923 and 1930 both to isolate the sick and to avoid problems with the neighbouring villages which feared, on the one hand, contagion and, on the other, the rejection of their local products, especially raisins —of great value to this area’s economy— which were commercialised and exported through the nearby ports of Denia and Jávea. Despite its height, some sick people would jump over the wall at night to visit relatives or friends living in nearby towns. As Vilariño wrote in 1925: "Hilario the little shepherd...! If only you could see how well these sheep follow him across Fontilles mountains, owned by the sanatorium! They do not run away from him as men do!

Father Ferris Square

Fontilles central square is named after its founder, Father Carlos Ferris y Vila S.I. —born in Albal (Valencia). When Father Ferris died in 1924, over 400 sick people had already stayed at the Sanatorium. A monument sculpted in marble on a quadrangular-prism-shaped was erected in this square in 1927. Father Ferris square occupies a large area full of trees, limited by the Central Pavilion and the kitchen on the left and by a large bench covered with tiles on the right. Outdoor events are held here: festive meals, celebrations, parties... As Father Vilariño (1925) put it “Led by the baton of Don Juan Fayos (a male nurse in Fontilles), they have played and sung admirably (in the square) because whoever cannot admit that those men have humour does not understand art and aesthetics in the least.” The garden area around the square features different tree species, some of them as old as the sanatorium itself. Such variety has to do with the large numbers of people who, after spending some time Fontilles, decided to contribute to this small botanical garden with some national or foreign species as a memento of their stay.

Former farm

This spacious residence for the patients in charge of the poultry farm was located near the Hospital Pavilion. It is also known as “Casa de la jabalina” [Female Wild Boar House] because a sick man called Antonio tamed a female boar that roamed around Fontilles following it everywhere. Today it serves as a storehouse for farming implements and as a shelter for some animals. Pigsties and henhouses were installed on the ground floor in the times of the Second Republic, the upper floor being used as a residence for sick people —places available did not suffice.

Sanctuary caves

The spirit of religiousness which led its founders to create this colony is reflected in some of the spaces created inside it. Especially worthy of mention are the three superimposed caves located next to the church where the vegetation, the water and the statues shape an atmosphere of recollection and reflect the devotion of the sick to these images which evoke cures —e.g. Our Lady of Lourdes. “The key value of this sanatorium colony was mainly to raise the spirit without neglecting the body of the most helpless mourners on earth” as can be read in the book Heroic Charity (1904).

Little houses of Nazareth

Originally intended for whole families of sick people, they subsequently became a residence for healthcare staff. These are single-floor houses or bungalows painted in white and covered with curved Arabic tiles. A double V-shaped staircase leads to the entrance porch of the houses. At the back, and detached from them, stands a small building with an elongated brick chimney that served as a crematorium for sanitary waste in yesteryear.

Cemetery path - dry stone terraces

A path among pines and bushes that leads to the cemetery. In Fontilles, we can distinguish a built area with constructions, streets, gardens and monuments; and another one, which surrounds the developed part, made up of mountains, ravines and pine forests. The northern part of the enclosure that borders Atzavares Castle is a steep area of almost bare rock, though a ravine with typical riverside vegetation runs through the lower part: reedbeds and oleanders. Cultivated land —especially with citrus fruits— is present in this area too. As for the south and the west, the landscape features mountains covered with Aleppo pines, some holm oaks and plenty of shrubs there. The path from Borgia Residence to the cemetery borders the latter landscape. From here you can see an area of “bancales” where the old agricultural plots of Partida de Fontilles used to be before being acquired for the installation of the sanatorium. These bancales —or terraces for cultivation on steps— can be described as small plots whose slope is terraced with dry stone margins. Narrow plots worked with human effort to grow carob, olive and almond trees. There are also some small sheds, dug into the actual stone wall to seek protection from the rain during work periods. These all stand out as remains of a landscape characteristic of Laguar Valley and the rural villages in the comarca of Marina Alta. These techniques of cultivation in terraces sought three main objectives: building plots where no area to cultivate was available; capturing the rare and very precious rainwater; and containing the speed of rainwater, which manifests by heavy downpours and floods throughout the area. That is how this landscape becomes part of our ancestors’ natural heritage, not only to survive but also to preserve the natural environment and live in harmony with it.

Prison

The prison constructed for rebellious or violent patients soon fell into disuse and was converted into a warehouse to store Fontilles’ own crops. It is a single-storey and very simple pavilion with numerous narrow barred windows, located at a certain distance from the most often frequented spaces.

Cemetery

The original 1909 cemetery was enlarged in 1933, a new one being built on the opposite side of the built core in the 1960s within a scenery of great natural beauty. The remains of the sick, alongside those of some nuns, Jesuits and volunteers from Fontilles, rest in this cemetery. Access is provided through an arched gate with an iron grille located on one of the largest sides of the enclosure. The niches are arranged on the end wall and on the shorter side walls. A stone cross surrounded by cypress trees occupies the centre of this area.

Male nurse’s house

A building with a ground floor and two other floors characterised by a refined taste that can be seen mainly in the openings and the façade. The house is clad in expensive stone, thus resembling the style of rural constructions. At first, it was a quarantine place, later serving for some time as the residence of the male nurse who lived in Fontilles. At present, it is used as a warehouse for farming tools.

Doctor’s house

The building has two floors with large terraces. The project was made for a single house, although it seems to be conceived for two. Possibly the last relatively important construction erected in Fontilles, it was inhabited by sanatorium resident doctors and their families.

Main street of Fontilles

We return along the cemetery path, and pass by Borgia residence until we reach the entrance. At this point, you can see a wall section that used to connect with the entrance door to Fontilles and the Porter’s lodge. From here we return to the car park through the main street, bordered by a dry stone wall on the right and a wooded area that descends to the ravine at the lower part of Fontilles on the left. In Spain, Fontilles represents a unique example of autonomous management devoted to research, medical treatment and development of social integration policies for the chronically ill in a normalised and self-sufficient social structure. The legacy of the Fontilles Sanatorium constitutes a memory of the fight against poverty and social discrimination developed in Spain over the last 100 years. The medical archives of the sanatorium constitute an essential heritage legacy for the study and knowledge of the history of medicine in Spain, similar to St. George's Hospital in Bergen, whose collections are referenced in UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme. The organisation, systematisation and availability to researchers of the history of medicine in Spain and Europe should form the basis of a Reference Centre for the Study of the History of Leprosy.

Aerial view of Fontilles sanatorium colony

Fontilles reflects the model and concept of a healthcare agricultural colony integrated into nature according to the hygienic proposals for the treatment of leprosy, which devastated the comarca of Marina Alta and the Valencian region as a whole in the late 19th century. In the early days, the sick residents of Fontilles came from the Valencian Region, especially from rural areas, and arrived at the sanatorium in very poor condition. In the 1930s, Fontilles became a reference centre that received patients from other regions too. From 1986 onwards, Fontilles extended its work to other countries with the aim of achieving a world without leprosy. Today, as the number of leprosy patients in the sanatorium has fallen considerably, one of its wards has been converted into a geriatric centre to accommodate highly dependent people. Another of the wards is a health centre specialising in the care of people who need a temporary stay in hospital. The book Heroic Charity (1904) reads: “To the concept of a sanatorium goes the concept of a colony because those wounded by leprosy, mostly in the first period which sometimes lasts for years, are able to do some work, and the work taken in moderation is extremely medicinal.” The projects for the integral recovery of Fontilles highlight the importance of this complex as a unique testimony to a way of life in isolation and seek not only a reconstruction of the architecture and a reinterpretation of the landscape but also the preservation of the authentic legacy of Fontilles: its memory.

Jesuit Priests’ Home

This building designed by the architect Peris Vallbona in 1956 and painted in white comprises two right-angled bodies joined by a central one, with a porch on the ground floor and a terrace on the upper floor. The roof is made of curved tiles in the Arab style. Ornamental and fruit trees surround the building. The difference in floor level with respect to the main street is reinforced with a high dry-stone wall. The Jesuit Fathers’ Residence has single rooms, a dining room, and a library. The director of Fontilles lived there with other members of the Jesuit order and external religious people who came to do their internships. It has remained uninhabited since the Jesuits left Fontilles in 2016, and a diocesan priest carries out his pastoral work there. Blanky wrote this in 2008 about one of the priests who directed Fontilles: “Father Carsi left an enormous mark in Fontilles. He was the first director to live in the sanatorium, to be on duty, to go down to the dining rooms and taste the food with the cutlery of the sick. He showed loads of humanity and affection.”

House of Trades - Pharmacy and laboratory

Opposite the farm —though on a higher level— stands the Trade House, a three-storey building with a terrace and a porch for the manufacture and repair of shoes. Following its idea of a colony, Fontilles created dressmaking, blacksmithing or bookbinding workshops in order to keep the sick busy with various tasks. This building, which was also used for quarantines during some periods, currently houses the laboratory and the pharmacy. The ground floor was dedicated to workshops during the (Second) Republic, the two remaining floors being used as a school, a library and a recreation room. At present, samples from all over the world arrive at this laboratory to be analysed for the presence of leprosy bacilli.

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