Valldemossa monastery
The Valldemossa monastery has attracted throughout its history illustrious people from all over the world –amongst these excel Chopin and his companion, George Sand– and is one of the principal attractions of the municipality and one of the preferred visits by tourists who come to the island.
The origin of the buildings dates from the times of King James II of Mallorca, who chose this exceptional place in the Tramuntana mountain range, situated over 400 metres high, to build a palace for his son Sanç, known as the Palau del rei Sanç. In 1399 King Martín el Humano ceded all the royal possessions in Valldemossa to the Carthusian monks. These founded the monastery and lived there until 1835, when it passed into private hands, divided between nine owners, except the church.
The visit to the buildings starts in the church, a neoclassic one decorated by great artists and artisans of the era, and was started in 1751 on the site of the primitive church built in 1446. Leaving the church we find the Cloister –one of the oldest part of the present buildings– and from there to the ancient monks' pharmacy. Then the garden can be visited and Prior's Cell –chapel, library, audience room, bedroom– where the historic and artistic legacy of the monks is preserved, showing how the monks lived. In cells 2 and 4 there are documents and mementoes of Chopin and Goerge Sand's stay in Valldemossa between 1838 and 1839.
The visit continues in the Municipal Museum, that holds a section dedicated to the antique Guasp Printing House, the Archduke Ludwig Salvatore room, the art gallery "La Serra de Tramuntana" and a collection of contemporary paintings.
Crossing the Monastery Square and passing the artist Coll Bardolet's studio, we find the King Sanç Palace, a luxurious mansion that preserves elements of the ancient monastery, such as the staircase, the cloister and the defence tower The building has also been occupied by famous people such as Jovellanos, confined in Valldemossa for political reasons, Rubén Darío, Unamuno, Azorín and Santiago Rusiñol, amongst others. At present the music room of the Palace holds folklore performances by "El Parado de Valldemossa" and piano concerts performed by outstanding pianists.
A suggestive walk through the concentric paths of the Monastery Gardens, surrounded by Yews and other trees, is the perfect ending for the visit.
Amongst the cultural activities that take place in the Cartoixa, one of the most important is the Chopin Festival, that has been held for over over twenty years.
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