Santueri, one of the three rock castles on Mallorca

The Santueri Castle, in the South East of Felanitx on the cliffs of the same name, about 400 metres high, is one of the three rock castles that are preserved on Mallorca, together with the Castell del Rei, in Pollença, and the Castell d'Alaró.

The present walled area of the Santueri castle, built as from 1316 to substitute the ancient fortification of the Moslem era, has a triangular formation and incorporates several towers, the main one of which is circular. In the time of Jaume I the conqueror, this castle, the same as the one Del Rei in Pollença and the one in Alaró, became a point of resistance by the moors. The occupation of the castle did not occur until 1231, in Jaume I's second trip, two years after the fall of Madina Mayurqa, the present day Palma. The ownership of the castle passed to Nuño Sanç de Rosselló, a nobleman who had participated in the conquest, and the fortification had troops to defend the Eastern coast (the levant). The Castle has lived relevant historic events, always linked with its impregnable fortress character, such as in the time of Jaume III of Mallorca, in 1343, when his partisans opposed and finally surrendered to Pere III of Catalunya, or during the Germanies War, at the beginning of the XVI Century, an era characterised by the violent social troubles. Finally, in 1811, after a long period of decadence, the State sold the castle which passed into private hands. The present owner is Salvador Vidal.

To access the Santueri Castle, you take the road from Felanitx to Santanyi and after a few kilometres take the left turn to follow a rural lane that leads to the esplanade at the foot of the castle walls. This area forms part of the meridian sector of the Serres de Llevant and on the way to the left one can see the Puig de Sant Salvador, over 500 metres high, topped by the Santuari de Sant Salvador, a place that must be visited, like the Santueri Castle, to be able to enjoy some extraordinary views over most of Mallorca and particularly Portocolom and the surrounding area.

The access to the interior of the impregnable walled castle is only possible via the ancient door. Until recently, someone controlled the entrance but the owner has decided not to permit visits until different aspects relating to the preservation of the castle are solved with the administration, and also due to some archaeological discoveries by a Swiss man, that apparently were taken out of Mallorca illegally. Even so, the visit is still recommendable to be able to contemplate the castle from the outside and to enjoy the spectacular views from such a unique place.

UPDATE (21/03/2001)

According to Joaquim Vidal, the son of the owner of the Santueri Castle, he has declared to MallorcaWeb that a German investor has made an important offer to buy the property. The amount surpasses the price of the purchase of Raixa, carried out in December 2001 for 1,400 million pesetas. In relation to the controversy about the presumed removal of historic heritage carried out by Rupert Spillmann, the Swiss amateur archaeologist who last week returned to the Mallorcan Council 1,001 pieces found at the castle, Joaquim Vidal denied any responsibility and stated that the Department of Culture of the Mallorcan Council, at that time controlled by Damià Pons, present Balearic Minister of Education and Culture, authorised with documents the action by Spillmann.

More information:

- Photographic report by MallorcaWeb (27 photographs)

Photos © BalearWeb

Date of publication: 21/03/2002

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