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 […]
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’ […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]