The particular ensemble of Mas d'en Segures: functional and constructive analysis of a house and a barn in Tinença de Benifassà (Castellón, Spain)

Abstract

[EN] In the northern interior of the Castellón province Tinença de Benifassà is found, a rural and mountainous region in which territorial organization combines villages with plenty of scattered settlements. As the phenomenon of rural exodus goes on, more and more of these ensembles are abandoned, which implies a critical patrimonial and identity loss, both physical and immaterial. Vernacular architecture shares morphological and constructive characteristics with that present at other regions of Spain, such as Teruel or southern Catalonia. These parameters are strictly linked with immediate environment and field labour in rough terrain. The analysis deepens on the documentation of Mas d'en Segures as a case study of spread settlements in the region. It was made up of four houses, three barns associated with threshing floors, and some farmyards. Some morphological, functional, and constructive characteristics differentiate this settlement from others in its context, which marks its antiquity and relates it with defensive constructions.