Cosmas and Damian
In the parish church of Petra in Mallorca, the Església Parroquial de Sant Pere, one can find a serene lateral chapel dedicated to Cosmas and Damian, the twin saints and […]
Oh When The Saints Go Marching In
In Mallorca, there are saints and village fêtes dedicated to them, all through the year. Somehow, though, it seems that in July there is an even bigger concentration of saints’ […]
Mallorcan Parish Churches
You will find that in Mallorcan pueblos it was quite common to rebuild and replace their parish churches over the centuries. Normally, the new church outclasses the previous one in […]
The Convento De Mínimos
The Convent dels Mínims (Castellano: Convento de Mínimos) in Santa María is also known by the name of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. This monastery dates back to the 17th […]
The Watch Tower Society Convention
Here in Mallorca, the Testigos de Jehová (Jehovah’s Witnesses) are a busy lot. Years ago, when we still lived in the countryside, we had a spell of regular visits to […]
The Águilas in Pollença
I went to Pollença yesterday to see the Corpus Christi procession, with the swaying Águilas and the ritual dance of Sant Joan Pelós. I’m glad I went, even though I […]
The Sant Joan Pelós Freak Show
Spain, a country traditionally immersed in the Catholic faith, celebrated Corpus Christi last Thursday and yesterday, San Juan (Saint John the Baptist). In Mallorca, San Juan is called Sant Joan. […]
The Emir’s Arch
Unfortunately, not many buildings remain of the Moorish period, here on the island of Mallorca, and only scarce remnants can be seen of the former Islamic religious architecture. Apart from the […]
Holocaust in Mallorca
In Spain, during the 15th to 19th centuries, members of the Jewish religion, as well as other transgressors such as Protestants, blasphemers, sodomites, bigamists and crypto-Jews, suffered severe persecution, expulsion […]
The Resurrection
Without much doubt, Easter is probably the most important religious festivity in the Mallorcan calendar, and the most family oriented celebration as well. For a start, the 40 days of […]
Gaudí’s Amazing Sounding Board
In about 1903-04, or thereabouts, Antoni Gaudí designed an amazing contraption for the main pulpit of Palma’s Cathedral. At the time, microphones, loudspeakers or electric amplifiers were not invented, yet, […]
The Solemn Sound Of Silence
Last night, the first of this year’s Easter processions was held in Felanitx, the Processó del Silenci (Procesión del Silencio, Silent Procession). The procession started with a congregation at the parish […]
The 39 Steps
The 39 steps of Artà are in fact 180 steps, leading up to the Santuari de Sant Salvador. Whilst not quite as magnificent as the 364 steps leading up to […]
Post Mortem
When someone dies in Mallorca, in a community traditionally well steeped in the Catholic faith, a stringent set of ceremonial rites is set in place. First, a wake is being […]
Easter Celebrations in Mallorca
Any moment now, Mallorca will be preparing for a string of Easter celebrations. Last Sunday already marked the halfway term of this year’s Corema (Lent), the 40 days from Ash […]
Vincit Regnat Imperat
Not often do we see church bells from close proximitry. We might hear them occasionally if we have an ear for their sound but, seldom do we get up to […]
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