Basílica des cap des Port de Fornells

Look into the semicircular apse and the outline of a cross lies within its curve: a crypt, already in place by the second half of the 5th century. From there the whole church reads on the ground. A single nave runs to the west end, where a choir stood with its own access staircase and an altar beside it. The west end also held an apotheca, a storeroom for liquids, and a baptistery completed the complex, with a set of rooms to the south-east of the church.

Beyond the walls lies Fornells Bay (Badia de Fornells), and the view across the water comes with the ruins. Excavation and restoration have continued here in recent years, so the site is still being worked on and read.

• There are no toilets and no drinking water at the site or nearby. Bring what you need.
• The nearest bus stop and car park are both more than 2 km away in a straight line, so plan for a walk.
• Excavation and restoration work has been under way on the ruins in recent years.
• An information board stands beside the ruins.

The nearest bus stop, Les Salines, is about 2.4 km away in a straight line, and the nearest free car park about 2.8 km. Either way the last stretch is on foot, and the walk runs longer than the straight-line figure. At the site itself an information board stands beside the remains of the church, with Fornells Bay in view.

Best: a morning or late afternoon in spring or autumn.

Avoid: the middle of a summer day.

The ruins lie in the open with no water close by, and a low sun throws the wall lines of the nave and apse into relief.

The Basílica des Cap des Port is a listed archaeological site. Keep off the walls and out of the crypt, and leave stones, pottery and any other finds where they lie. Where excavation or restoration is in progress, stay outside the working areas.