Valldemossa () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

on the island of

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, part of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

of the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

. It is famous for one landmark: the Royal Charterhouse of Valldemossa, built at the beginning of the 14th century, when the mystic and philosopher

Ramon Llull Ramon Llull (; ; – 1316), sometimes anglicized as ''Raymond Lully'', was a philosopher, theologian, poet, missionary, Christian apologist and former knight from the Kingdom of Majorca. He invented a philosophical system known as the ''Art ...

lived in this area of Mallorca. Since the 19th century Valldemossa has been promoted internationally as a place of outstanding beauty, largely as a result of the affection of distinguished traveller and cultural writer, the Austrian Archduke Ludwig Salvator. Valldemossa is the birthplace of Catalina Thomas, Mallorca's patron saint.

History

In the year 1399, the

king of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre in ...

, Martin the Humane, donated his summer residence, the Royal Palace of Valdemossa, to the

Carthusian Order The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin Church, Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rul ...

. This order had been founded by

Bruno of Cologne Bruno of Cologne, OCart (; ; – 6 October 1101), venerated as Saint Bruno, was the founder of the Carthusians. He personally founded the order's first two communities. He was a celebrated teacher at Reims and a close advisor of his former pupi ...

in 1084 and its monasteries were known as charterhouses according to its motherhouse, Chatreuse, which is why the building is called today the Valldemossa Charterhouse. The charterhouse was populated by twelve monks, a prior and several

lay brothers Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choi ...

who performed menial work around the charterhouse. Catalina Thomas, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Mallorca, was born here in 1533. The town was pillaged by Muslim raiders in the year 1552. In the 1830s the Spanish government confiscated monasteries and the historic estate was sold to private owners, who have since hosted some prominent guests. These have included the Polish composer

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

and his lover the pioneering French writer Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, better known by her pseudonym

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

, who wrote a notable account of ''A Winter in Majorca,'' describing their 1838–39 visit and praising the island's natural beauty, but criticizing what she perceived as the prejudice and vices of the natives. Later the Nicaraguan poet

Rubén Darío Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (18 January 1867 – 6 February 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as '' modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...

was guest of the Sureda y Montaner families who own the Chartreuse estate. To fight his own nightmares Rubén Dario would sleep in monk habits; however, his drinking habits caused a rift with his private hosts and thus his departure from the former monastery and from Majorca. Also

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...

lived in the town with his parents and his sister Norah, after the First World War let them free from their refuge in Geneva. Borges passionate friendship with the young artist Jacobo Sureda Montaner, son of the painter Pilar Montaner, was decisive for Borges writing mainly in Spanish. Until the elections of 2007 the town's mayor was the only one in the democratic Kingdom of Spain to remain in office from the times of the

Francoist Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

dictatorship, which legally disappeared as the current

Spanish Constitution of 1978 The Spanish Constitution () is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Spain. It was enacted after its approval in 1978 in a constitutional referendum; it represents the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. The current version was a ...

was passed.

Chopin and Sand in Valldemossa

In October 1836, Chopin met a French writer

(Aurore Dudevant) at

Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...

's house. In the summer of 1838, Sand and Chopin became lovers. They spent the following winter from 8 November 1838 to 11 February 1839 together with Sand’s two children in Mallorca. At first, they stayed in

Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...

and then at the Charterhouse in Valldemossa. After a month, Chopin was writing about Valldemossa, complaining about the weather and local cuisine. The

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

was to agree with the composer; however, that year’s winter was particularly rainy and Chopin caught a cold. On top of that, the piano that was imported from Europe especially for him, was lost during the transport. After the piano was found, it was waiting for weeks at the Palma port for the duty to be paid. During this time, Chopin was forced to play on a poor Majorcan piano. Despite the difficulties, he worked on his next pieces. It was in Mallorca where the collection of 24 preludes was completed (including prelude in D-flat major nicknamed "Raindrop"). After the departure of Chopin and Sand there was little left behind of their stay, due to the locals burning most of the furniture from the rooms the lovers had lived in out of concerns about tuberculosis. Museums dedicated to the famous couple are located in the monastery cells 2 and 4. Memorabilia collected there include letters and manuscripts, portraits and sketches, as well as the Majorcan piano on which Chopin had been composing since January 1836. There are also a Chopin's death mask and a lock of his hair, preserved in a George Sand's book. The museum is private and was founded in 1929 by Anne-Marie Boutroux de Ferrà and her husband Bartomeu Ferrà i Juan. The Chopin Festival organised by Festivals Chopin de Valldemossa has been held since 1930 in August at the Carthusian monastery. In cell 4, visitors can see the Pleyel piano ordered by the composer in Paris, which arrived in Valldemossa three weeks before his departure. When Chopin and Sand were leaving, they did not want to pay a high duty for the second time and left the piano to the director of the bank where Sand had opened an account. The piano was passed on in the banker’s family from one generation to another. Its current owners are the heirs of the bank director, the Quetglas brothers, who administer Chopin’s and Sand’s cell. The instrument is the greatest pride of their Chopin museum.

Tourism

Valldemossa is a popular tourist destination in the Balearic Islands of Spain. One of the main attractions is the 13th century monastery, where the musician Frederic Chopin spent a winter (1838–39). The monastery was originally built as a royal palace; however, in 1399 it was converted into a monastery. Actor

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the ...

and actress

Catherine Zeta-Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Recognised for her versatility, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed Comm ...

have a coastal estate near Valldemossa.

Events and festivals

Festivals that take place in Valldemossa include: *Festes de la Beata: takes place during July 28, celebrates the Patron Saint of Valldemossa. Many parades take place on the streets during this festival. *Festival of Saint Bartomeu: on 24 August, also celebrates the Patron Saint. There are performances in the Cloisters of the Monastery. *Annual Artdemossa: this festival, at the end of July, includes art and performance exhibitions.

Gallery

File:Valldemossa Klause.jpg, Charterhouse. File:Valldemossa flower.jpg, Floral decoration on the facades. File:PianoOfChopinValldemossaMallorca.JPG, Chopin's piano, in the monastery. File:Valldemossa 28.jpg, View over Valldemossa. File:Pomnik Fryderyka Chopina w Valldemossa - KStanowski 2.jpg, alt=,

Monument in Valldemossa.

Notable people

Born in Valldemossa

Catherine of Palma Catherine of Palma (1531–1574, born Caterina Tomàs i Gallard) was a Spanish canon and mystic from Mallorca. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and her feast day is commonly celebrated on 5 April although in her home ...

(1533-1574), saint

Related to Valldemossa

(ca 1232-ca 1316), author and philosopher *

Manuel Bayeu Friar Manuel Bayeu y Subías (8 January 1740, Zaragoza - c. 1809, Zaragoza) was a Spanish painter, architect and Carthusian monk. Biography He came from a family of painters that included his brothers, Francisco and Ramón. What we know of hi ...

(1740-1809), monk and painter *

(1804-1876), French author and feminist *

(1810-1849), Polish composer and piano player * Ludwig Salvator of Austria (1847-1915), Austrian archduke and prince, author, scientist and ethnographer of the Mediterranean *

Santiago Rusiñol Santiago Rusiñol i Prats (, ; Barcelona 25 February 1861 – Aranjuez 13 June 1931) was a Spanish painter, poet, journalist, collector and playwright. He was one of the leaders of the Catalan '' modernisme'' movement. He created more than ...

(1861-1931), Catalan painter *

(1867-1916), Nicaraguan poet *

(1899-1986), Argentinian author and essayist

References

External links

Tourist guide

Official website

French text of George Sand's ''A Winter in Majorca'' ("Un hiver à Majorque") at the Gutenberg Website

International Foundation Can Mossenya - Jorge Luis Borges

The Cell of Chopin and G.Sand
{{Authority control Municipalities in Mallorca Populated places in Mallorca