The island capital Palma de Mallorca and the towns of Valldemossa and Santa Margalida all compete for the veneration of Mallorca’s only saint, Catalina Tomàs, also known as Sor Tomasseta.

Catalina Tomàs was born in Valldemossa in 1533, was orphaned as a young girl and thus, was raised by an uncle. In 1555 she entered the Convent de Santa Maria Magdalena, in Palma de Mallorca, taking her vows at the age of 22. The monastery belongs to the order of the Canonesses Regulars de Sant Agustí. The devout nun died in the convent in 1574. In 1792 she was beatified by Pope Pius VI. In 1930, Pope Pius XI declared her a saint.

In Palma, the beatification of Catalina Tomàs is celebrated every year in October with the Colcada de la Beata. The saint’s birthplace, Valldemossa celebrates Sor Tomasseta every year on July 28th. Since 1792, Santa Margalida has celebrated the Festes de Sa Beata, paying annual homage to their beloved patron saint. This year, festivities have been going on since the end of August, but the main day is always the first Sunday in September, i. e. tomorrow. Tomorrow morning (September 6th), a solemn mass will be held at 11h00 at the església parroquial de Santa Margalida. In the afternoon (17h30), 12 carrosses will assemble outside the parish church adorned with scenes depicting the life of the saint. In the evening (21h00) a traditional procession will be held with Antònia Frontera Pont (this year’s Beata) battling her way against scores of dimonis. The saint will be accompanied by xeremies, pagesos and hundreds of people in festive mood. This event counts easily as one of the most significant acontecimientos in Mallorca’s calendar of festivities.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in the Convent de Santa Maria Magdalena in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: December 17th, 2008. The time was 17:45:54. The video was taken from YouTube, courtesy of IB3.

Moltes gràcies.