The Claustro de Sant Bonaventura in Llucmajor has recently been lovingly restored to the original beauty of its 17th century architecture.

The building was erected as a convent for the Franciscan order. The adjoining church had been built between 1620 and 1656. The convent was constructed in 1679, when 24 monks were accommodated. 

In 1835, the liberal Spanish government implemented desamortización and thus, took possession of most convents and monasteries in Spain, dispossessing the Catholic church, many religious orders and some land nobility. Most of the church properties were auctioned and privatized, but for one reason or other, the Claustro de Sant Bonaventura in Llucmajor went into the ownership of the town community, to be used as a hospice after that.

During the 20th century the cloister was used in turn as a slaughterhouse, as military quarters and as headquarters for the Guardia Civil, until in 1999 the building had to be closed for good due to its precarious state of construction. The building was restored and extended to the tune of 6,000,000 Euros in 2006. The cloister has since been declared a Mallorcan Bien de Interés Cultural. 

The convent is well worth a visit, not least on account of the beautiful mural paintings done in the Grisaille technique, alas, you may find the doors closed after October 20th. The town of Llucmajor has not yet decided how to best make use of the new facilities. What a great shame indeed.

The photo was taken in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain. The date: October 4th, 2008. The time was 17:33:47.