Tuesday is market day in Santa Margalida, a quiet, pretty and affluent pueblo in the midst of the Pla area of Mallorca. Testament to the wealth is the large church of Santa Margalida, originally built in 1232 and later rebuilt and extended in 1679. The Gothic style church was accredited as Parochial Church some 750 years ago by Pope Innocent IV.

On July 20th, the Festes de Santa Margalida are celebrated, the day of the Patron Saint.

And every first Sunday in September, the Festes de la Beata are celebrated in honour of Santa Catalina Tomàs, Mallorca’s only saint. There is a small monument in her honour, right next to the plaça.

The village also has the dubious honour of being the birthplace of Joan Albert March Ordinas (1880-1962), the founder of Banca March. However, the town has not considered him worthy of a monument, neither in the plaça nor anywhere else. Rumours have it, when The last pirate of the Mediterranean used to drive to his finca in a limousine with the curtains drawn, that some of his compatriots threw stones at his car.

My greetings go out for Gabriel Escalas Fornel and Francisca Dalmau Alomar who will celebrate their nuptials this afternoon at the Església de Santa Margalida. ¡Felicidades!

The photo was taken in Santa Margalida, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 16th, 2008. The time was 11:42:37.