Valldemosa Things to Do

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Royal Carthusian Monastery of Valldemossa(Real Cartuja de Valldemossa) is the main attraction of Valldemossa.

Originally a royal residence (for king Jaime II) converted into a Carthusian Order’s monastery from 1399 to 1835. When its monks expelled it turned into rental accommodation when the buildings were sold to 9 different private owners!

Some famous people that lived here were the polish composer Frederic Chopin and George Sand but if you read the book “A winter in Mallorca” that Sand wrote you will notice that they didn’t really loved the place and the locals :) The nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario also spend some time here.
In our days it is a museum. The entrance fee is 7,5euro including entrance to the church, monastery rooms, the pharmacy room, Museo Municipal and Palace of King Sancho.

We bought the ticket on the side booth and then we entered through the main church of the monastery (pic 1) which is still in use, a lady told me that I had to move forward for the monastery but I respond “thank you but I want to see the church first!”. The church was built in neoclassical style with some beautiful murals on the dome made by Miguel Baye (Goya’s brother in law) and numerous oil paintings by Fray Joaquim Juncoss.

Then I entered the monastery grounds, you can visit some rooms, first it was the old pharmacy (pic 2) with numerous old bottles, earthenware jars, retorts and gourds, pill boxes and gauze. George Sand was taking herbs from this pharmacy trying to cure Chopin’s health problems. The pharmacy served the villages until 1896.

Then I visited several rooms and cells, filled with old documents, furniture and paintings, the old library(prior’s cell), the dining room and some of the monks’ cells.

Cell 2 is Chopin and George Sand museum but I was surprised when I was asked for 3 euros extra to see cell 4(Chopin’s room)! Greedy people… :) Anyway Cell n.4 supposed to be the one that Chopin rented and where you can see his Pleyel piano (that he sold to Canut family). It the piano that he used to compose during his stay in Valldemossa.

It’s open mon-sat 9.30-18.30, Sundays 10.00-13.00

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In front of the monastery you can see a bust of Frederic Chopin(1810-1849) that is connected with the monastery and Valldemossa just because he came here for three months from December 1838 to February 1839.

The famous polish composer of romantic music (most of his works are for solo piano) lived here so the visitors can see his room and some of his sonatas, a piano etc

Chopin came to Valldemossa with the French writer George Sand when they were trying to find an escape away from Paris but things didn’t turn quiet well in Valldemossa due to the dump weather of the area in winter that wasn’t pleasant for Chopin’s lung suffer and the unwelcome locals that were shocked of the love affair of an unmarried couple... tourism wasn’t popular at those times so not to pay attention :).

I’ve read again Sand’s book “A Winter in Mallorca”, its quite impressive how close to modern life of the villages are some of her notes…

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Part of the monastery (included in the ticket) is the Municipal Museum of Valldemossa.

It houses an old press and about 1500 xylographic plates! I also enjoyed the part of the museum that is dedicated to contemporary art with unexpected works from famous artists like Picasso, Miró etc

Small enough the museum took me just some minutes to walk around but it was a nice surprise because the truth is that I got bored with the other parts of the monastery. I was the only visitor there, complete silence around, I felt a bit how the monastery would be in those years when the monks were bound by an oath of silence, they could spean only once a week for 30’ and only in the library!

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Next to the monastery you can see the nice gardens that are called Jardins Joan Carles I.

I was expecting to see something more impressive because I have read about them in advance but they were just ok.

Inside the gardens I noticed the bust of Archduke Ludwig Salvador of Austria, a rich duke (son of the 19th century Habsburg ruler of Tuscany Leopoldo II) that supposed to loved Mallorca and bought several properties in and around Valldemossa like S’Estaca (now Costa Nord), Miramar (5km from town) and Son Marroig (7km from town)

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I’m not exactly sure what this cultural center is about (supposed to educate the visitor about the island so to conserve the environment and the patrimony value of the island …) but it seems like a tourist trap to me although the name is impressive as it is the Foundation Sustainable Baleares.

Architect Dani Freixes created the whole complex with the money of the famous Hollywood actor Michael Douglas that bought S’Estaca, the house that originally belonged to Archduke Ludwig Salvador of Austria, a rich duke (son of the 19th century Habsburg ruler of Tuscany Leopoldo II) that supposed to loved Mallorca and bought several properties around Valldemossa (you can visit some of his main residences at Miramar (5km from town) and Son Marroig (7km from town)

Michael Douglas lived in Mallorca from time to time thus his big picture at the entrance (he’s also the one that talks on the film). So...first you see a short film, it’s some kind of a documentary with celebrities talking about the island and the you can see a reproduction of the Nixe, the boat/yacht of the Archduke Ludwig Salvador that he used for his trips all over Mediterranean Sea.

It’s open daily 9.00-17.00

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When we started walking around Valdemossa we loved the picturesque alleys with the stout stone houses, the beautiful green windows and the flowers. Then we realized that every house had one small plaque hanging next to the front door.

Every plaque has a colorful Christian motif, usually showing Santa Catalina a small girl praying somewhere in the village or talking to God.

We also saw at the local souvenir store that many of these plaques were for sell.

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Santa Catalina Thomas (Saint Catherine in English) is the patron saint of Mallorca island.

She was born in Valldemosa where we visited the house where she was born that is now a shrine although her (incorrupt as they say) body remains at Augustinian Canos of Saint Madgalene in Palma.
She died at 43(1531-1574) joined an Augustian order since she was 21, the same one that she was buried. As a child it is said that she had 2 conversations with God both of them before or after her parents died (Catalina was 3 and 7 years old). She was canonized in 1930.

On july 28 there are festivities all over the island in her memory. In Valldemoosa they have special celebration with a 6 year old girl representing the saint in a procession through the streets of Valdemossa.

We visited the house that was turned into chapel in 1792. There wasn’t much to see inside, just a statue of Santa Catalina holding a bird (pic 2). On our way back to town we noticed another statue dedicated to her (pic 3)

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Real Cartuja isn’t the only important religious related site to visit in Valldemosa, there’s also the church of St.Bartholomeu.

It was built in 1245 in baroque style and it’s dedicated to the patron saint of Valldemosa. Although it was originally built a bit after Mallorca’s conquer by Jaume I it expanded during 18th century, much later (in 1863) the belltower and the façade were added.

The church celebrates on august 24 when festivities take place in honor of S.Bartholomeu with music, sports and other events.

As the church was closed we took some pictures of the exterior and the streets around and a bit further (at carrer del Rei Sanxo) a cross that once used as a waymarker!(pic 4)