Sant Rafel de sa Creu

Sant Rafel de sa Creu sits at the centre of the island of Ibiza, within the municipality of Sant Antoni de Portmany, bordering Santa Eulària des Riu. It is one of the oldest settled areas on the island. A bronze axe found at a local estate called Sa Bassa Roja confirms that people lived here before the Christian era.

The village grew up around its church, dedicated to Sant Rafel Arcàngel and standing on the square now known as Plaça de Joan Mari Cardona. Two local families both wanted the church built on their respective land, and the dispute shaped its origins. The exact start date of construction is unclear, but a bishop visiting in 1795 noted it as the only newly completed temple on the island, placing its finish no later than that year. A later expansion took place in 1863, a date that appears on one of the beams of the porch. The small porch in front of the main door came even later — the paving bears the date 1877 — and was not part of the original plan; it was noted that it obscures the view of the image of the saint. The bell tower has been altered several times; its current form dates from a 1956 renovation.

An earlier source attributes the order to build the church to Bishop Manuel Abad y Lasierra, a Benedictine, in 1786, with the first mass celebrated in 1793 once the vault was covered, and construction fully finished in 1797.

In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, troops under General Alberto Bayo subjected the church to serious looting. Its archive and library were burned, religious images and the main altarpiece were destroyed, and fire caused further significant damage.

The town has been officially declared a Zone of Artisan Interest.