Santuari de la Mare de Déu del Puig

Santuari de la Mare de Deú del Puig: defense tower, defensive wall and church

The Santuari de la Mare de Deú del Puig ( Castilian Santuario de la Mare de Déu del Puig ) is a former monastery on the 330 meter high mountain Puig de Maria in the municipality of Pollença on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca . It is located southeast of the small town of Pollença. The facility, which was founded in the 14th century, can be reached via the Ma-2220 road and a path going from there . The monastery consisted of a small chapel, a fortified tower and farm buildings. It housed various orders of nuns and monks. Since the last residents left the monastery, the pilgrimage shrine has continued to operate as a hostel on behalf of the church.

history

On March 31, 1348, the establishment of the sanctuary was authorized by Berenguer Batle (1332-1349), the Bishop of Palma . The church was consecrated in 1355. The first three lay sisters from Pollença lived there from 1362 according to the rules of St. Peter and later founded a monastery school with seventeen other women. In addition, they maintained a library and organized business, care for the elderly and the sick. Pope Clement VII confirmed the monastery community in 1388 and placed it under the rules of the Augustinians . The women were called hermits of the Augustinian Regular Canons. From 1414 to 1564 the monastery complex was expanded to include a chapter , dormitory , refectory and kitchen. A watchtower and fortress-like walls served as defense. Here the citizens of Pollença found protection on May 30th and 31st, 1550, when the community was attacked by 1,500 corsairs.

Due to the decisions of the Council of Trent , the nuns moved to Palma and founded a new community there. The monastery complex was expanded and renovated mainly in the 16th and 18th centuries by the diocese. In 1917 it was placed under the religious order of St. Paul and St. Anthony. The last believers left the place in 1988.

In the Santuari de la Mare de Deú del Puig a small hostel is maintained today. At the end of the 19th century the church, in which there is a statue of Saint Mary with the Christ Child, was renovated on the initiative of the poet and theologian Miquel Costa i Llobera (1854–1922). A coin collection, household items and tools are displayed in the stairwell of the hostel.

Traditions and Legends

In the middle of the 14th century, a miracle of Mary is said to have occurred on the Puig de Pollença. One night, one of three godly believers living in the village observed a light on the opposite mountain. When the event repeated itself in the following nights, they examined the phenomenon together with the parish priest. On the mountain they discovered a figure of Mary that was to be brought to the church in Pollença. But even strong men called in to help could not move the statue. This was interpreted as a divine sign and it was decided to build a chapel in that place.

On Easter Monday, residents of Pollença go to the hostel on the Puig de Maria to celebrate the "festa del Puig".