The Cortijo of Calahonda, once perfectly visible from the beach, is a magnificent and emblematic building located in the current urbanization Sitio de Calahonda on Avenida del Cortijo. Today, it serves as the Norwegian Church, offering its services in this beautiful and historic place.
A Rich History
Marked as a “cortijo-lagar” (farm-winery) on 19th-century maps, the Cortijo of Calahonda has a lot of history, though not much written information exists about it. However, an advertisement published in the Gaceta de Madrid in March 1816 has led to several exciting discoveries that help reconstruct part of the building’s history.
The advertisement speaks of the sale of two large estates, one of which is titled CALAHONDA, located between Mijas and Marbella by the sea. It describes the estate as composed of vineyards, woodlands, farmland, large pastures, and a newly built house constructed at great expense. This house, due to its size and location, could serve as an inn and is most suitable for establishing a settlement with a seaport.
El Cortijo 1971
Architectural Significance
The description of the Calahonda estate in the Gaceta advertisement suggests it refers to the Cortijo of Calahonda, especially when comparing it to the Lagar of Jotrón, another building owned by the same person. The Lagar of Jotrón, now in ruins and located in Málaga, shares many similarities with the Cortijo of Calahonda.
Professor María Begoña Villar from the University of Málaga notes that the Lagar of Jotrón seems to be a newly built structure with its own technical project, representing a well-known type of construction: a house with a courtyard enclosed on all sides. This type of house, with very ancient origins, provides optimal ventilation and shelter, making it a traditional urban housing prototype in Andalusia.
Historical Connections
The Lagar of Jotrón is attributed—although not confirmed—to José Martín de Aldehuela (1729–1802), the main architect who worked in Málaga during the last quarter of the 18th century. His most representative work is the New Bridge of Ronda, so he could also be the architect of the Cortijo of Calahonda.
The Lagar of Jotrón was ordered to be built by the French merchant Jean-Baptiste Maury (1740–1804), who had a well-established economic position in Málaga and was connected to Joseph Bonaparte. Jean-Baptiste’s son, José María Maury, was appointed colonel of a regiment formed in Málaga in 1810, in which Josef LaChambre, mentioned in the estate sale ad, served as his aide. This suggests that the Calahonda estate was also owned by the Maury family and likely commissioned by them.
The Napoleonic Era
During the Napoleonic invasion in 1810, the French stayed in the Cortijo of Calahonda, turning it into a fort with shooting embrasures. The presence of this large building and Maury’s connections with the French may have been the reason for the French army’s establishment in Calahonda.
20th Century and Beyond
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Calahonda estate and its cortijo appeared as the property of José Nagel Disdier (1857–1940), a wealthy businessman and politician from Málaga. This estate later became the urbanization known as Sitio de Calahonda. The cortijo was rebuilt as a hotel in the 1970s, named Hotel El Campanario. It was later transformed into a private residence and is currently the headquarters of the Norwegian Church in Calahonda, still bearing the name El Campanario.
Explore the rich history and architectural significance of the Cortijo of Calahonda, a true historical gem on the Costa del Sol.