Introduction
Lime furnaces are dry-stone structures where carbonate stone was heated to obtain quicklime, which was used to join rocks when building walls, cover façades and waterproof cisterns.
Montgrí was an excellent place for producing lime, as it had abundant carbonate rock and accessing the furnaces was relatively easy. The furnaces were built close to quarries, often making use of a high bank from which the stone could be loaded into the furnace from above. A combustion chamber was built in the bottom of the furnace which was covered with clay and separated from the upper part. Kindling (thin sticks that burn easily) would be continuously fed into the combustion chamber to maintain a high temperature all through the process, which could last for three or four days. Finally, the lime was extracted and taken away by cart. It would be left to soak in water for several days before being used.