The history of Sant Carles

The village of Sant Carles belongs to the municipality of Santa Eulària, with limestone hills and red earth that indicate much iron content, ideal for agriculture. It has very disperse population.
In the Southwest, at Puig de s’Argentera (142 m), there used to be mining of natural resources such as lead, silver and some gold residue. This mine was active from the times of Phoenicians and Punics to the end of the Spanish Civil War, when it was abandoned. The coast of Sant Carles is abrupt and dangerous for seafarers because of the abundancy of islets, reefs and slabs.
Sant Carles boasts beaches such as Pou des Lleó, Aiguas Blancas, Es Figueral, Cala Llenya or Cala Mastella. These are better in the morning, as the Sun hides behind the mountains early there.
Sant Carles parish was created in 1785 following the decision made by bishop Manuel Abad y Lasierra, who was the first bishop of Ibiza and Formentera, to build parishes on these islands.
Specifically, his decree stated that facing the islet of Tagomago there existed a very fertile territory called Es Figueral that was quite unpopulated because it was far away from the vicarage of Santa Eulària – thus it was suitable for a new parish to be created there that could be dedicated to Sant Carles. As soon as the decree was published, the parish temple started to be built, although it was not set in Es Figueral but rather in the centre of the parish territory, in Peralta.
There is no record as to when it was completed, but it is assumed that it was operating by the end of the 18th century. The porch, belfry and rectory house are from a later period. They say it is one of the three most elegant churches in Ibiza (together with Sant Llorenç and Sant Mateu), and that it was possibly directed by the same master builder.
In 1936, the altarpiece, sculptures, paintings and the books from the parish archives were burnt.