Saint Miquel

Llucmajor

The first church was built in the 14th century and was demolished by the current construction. It was a unique plant with side chapels and this church we only conserve a rose window, which is located on the western wall of the current temple , a starting line of an arch and two capitals.

The construction of the current church began in 1784, on the initiative of the parish priest evinent, and it was completed at the end of the 19th century. It’s size and grandeur were the cause of numerous hardships and difficulties in it’s construction.

Several projects and guidelines made a group that was directed by different masters of work and architects, among which A. Mesquida and Fray Miquel of Petra in the eighteenth century, and Isidro González Velázquez and the architect Joan Sureda in the nineteenth century.

The church conserves the baroque honda chapel the adhered to the previous temple, although, with the new construction, this deep chapel was adapted to the neoclassical one removing the baroque architectural elements that it owned.

Concerning the church, we can distinguish two constructive phases. of the first, we find the presbytery, the area of the transept and the lateral portal, which shows us the toor, still, in the resources of the classicist baroque.

Of the second, we can talk out the main nave, the dome and the bell tiwer, marked by the reform of the  Madrid architect Isidro González Velázquez, of neoclassical character.

The main façade is of an impressive sobriety, shows the rejection of proposals that were raised on it. Since any ornamental element is removed and a section is advances more than what was planned.

The lateral facade has two entrance portals and the belfry of five sections rises, following the project of the Madird architect.

The plant of the temple is of a single ship with inscribed cruise cupola and lateral chapels. The interior elevation is three sections: the lower one has chapels, the middle one combined a blind gallery with a grand stand area and the upper one, above the cornice, has lunettes and large window between the aches of the arches of the  barrel vault.

The church has nineteen alter pieces, of which five are preserved in the baroque style (Saint Francisco Javier (11), Holy Domingo (12), of our Lady Rosary (13), of Holy Cristo de la Esperanza (14), of ST. Ana (20).

With the construction of the new temple it was nescesary to make new alterpieces to decorate it. These follow the neoclassical guidelines and most were buit in the 1840’s. The most influencial artistic workshop during this period in Mallorca, with an important weight in Llucmajor, is the torres workshop, which produced numerous pictorial, sculptural and ornamental for the new factory.

Greater alterpiece of Saint Miguel (1). This alterpiece, designed by the architect Isidro González Velázquez, imitate the architectural elements of a classical temple. San Miguel in the center is flanked by the Holy Archangels Raphael and Gabriel, Between corrugated double Corinthian columns. In the truncated tablature is placed the Holy Spirit and, above it, in the attic. The scuplture of ST. Matthew and ST. Thomas. All the alterpieces of this time in this church follow the same structure, with more or less varients.

Alterpiece of the Holy Cristo de las Animas (2). Alterpiece neoclassical style. Inside the linteled niche is the headline baroque image, It is articulated and used for the representation of the descent in Holy Week. It is a religious representation, which comes from medieval theater.

Alterpiece of Saint Sebastian (3). It is of the same structure as the previous alterpiece. In this case, the central niche is a semicircular arch, where the image of San Sebastian is located and below it its relic, moved from the church of montuiri in 1681, Saint Sebastian is the patron saint of Palma and is the protector against plague.

Aterpiece of the Holy Trinity (4). It was moved from it’s (today chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) to the current one at the beginning of the 20th century, which caused a certain restructuring. The central reason of the altarpiece is pictorial and represents the coronation of Mary for the Most Holy Trinity.

Alterpiece of the name of Jesus (5). The disappearance of the central niche, typical of other altarpieces, has given rise to a pictorial reason. In the predella and inside a niche we can see an image of the Child Jesus.

Alterpiece of our Lady Lourdes (6). The formal lines of this alterpiece are an imitation of the Rococo. Some of it’s formal, chromatic and decorative features can be found in Llucmajor as an appendix of the baroque period, in the decoration of the moldings of the interior portals of the Rector House and those of the presbytery and, in general, all of the decorative elements of the church of the sanctuary of our Lady Grace, although in some areas of this church have disappered because of the restoraction suffered in the early 1990.

Alterpiece of Saint Jose (7). It is a work altarpiece and follows the usual classical structure, with a central carpanel arch niche and a 19th century image.

Altarpiece of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (8) Built at the beginning of the 20th century, it presents the image of the Heart of Jesus inside a vaulted canopy and accompanied by sculptures of angels. Inside, in a semicripta, there is the lying figure of Santa Candida, patron saint of Llucmajor.

Alterpiece of Saint Lucia (9). This alterpiece, like that of immaculate Heart of Mary, is embedded in the wall inside a semicircular arch on pilasters.

In the niche you can see the image of Saint Lucia, martyred in the s. IV.

Alterpiece os the Immaculate Heart of Mary (10). This alterpiece,  like the previous one, is located in the space that connects the main nave with the Baroque honda chapel of the previous church. The work, very simple, was completed in 1843.

Alterpiece of Saint Francisco Javier (11). Alterpiece baroque style in which we appreciate the abendonment of the baroque, which we find in other altarpieces of this same artistic style, since it presents more classic lines and a decrease in ornamental reason.

Alterpiece of  Santo Domingo (12). Baroque style alterpiece. It is form the 18th century and presents a dominican iconography ( Santo Tomás de Aquino and San Vicente Ferrer on the sides). The lack of stucco reveals the features of the carved wood of the altarpiece. In the center of the predella opens a niche with the image of San Juan Bautista, inserted in the 19th century following the neoclassical current.

Alterpiece of our Lady Rosary (13). It is baroque alterpiece form 1651, probably made shortly after the construction of the chapel, dating from the same period. The entire alterpiece has a profusion of  decorative architectural elements typical of the period. It was the object of a restoration in 2001, which restored its original appearance by opening the attic niche, which had been hidden by a painting in the 19th century.

Alterpiece of Holy Christ of Hope  (14). Altarpiece of the Holy Christ of Hope (14). Baroque style altarpiece. The image of Santo Cristo de la Esperanza, from the end of the 16th century, belongs to the devotion of the Blood implanted from 1552 in Palma, from where it spread to other localities of the island. These Christs share the same formal traits. In the attic we can see the 16th century painting of the Virgen de la Esperanza within a Renaissance composition due to both the lines of perspective marked by the tilework and the classic frame of the background.

Alterpiece of Santa Catalina Thomás  (15).This chapel, which used to house the relics of Santa Candida, was restructured at the beginning of the 20th century and changed its owner. Unlike the others, it is represented by an altarpiece on the wall. The central square of Santa Catalina stands out and below is a niche with a carving of Our Lady of Lactation. In recent years, this chapel has been dedicated to the Majorcan Blesseds, incorporating the paintings of Ramón Llull, Sister Francinaina Cirer and Sister Maria dels Àngels Ginard Martí.

 Alterpiece of our Lady Mercy (16). Altarpiece of Our Lady of Mercy (16). It was one of the last altarpieces of this church to be built. It shows an influence derived from the classicist baroque altarpieces of the 18th century. La Piedad was restored at the beginning of the 20th century to adapt it to the new space. In addition, both iconographically and stylistically, it makes one think of its Baroque origin.

Baptisma Font (17). Stack in the shape of a cup and closed by a wooden pyramid and topped by an iron cross. It is closed by an iron gate.

Next to the baptismal font, there is the spiral staircase that gives access, first, to the choir and after climbing 119 steps we will reach the bell tower. There we find three bells: the largest (1788), the median (1647) and the smallest and oldest (1643).

 

Alterpiece of Saint Isidro (18).  Apart from the lateral ceramic panels of the same origin as those of the San Antonio chapel, the two central overlapping niches stand out. The lower baroque image represents the head of the chapel, while the upper one is a Gothic carving of the Virgin, popularly known as La Candelaria.

Alterpiece of Saint Antonio (19). It is one of the few chapels with ceramic decoration on the wall, a ceramic of Valencian origin from the second half of the 19th century. The patronage of this chapel is due to the devotion to the Saint and his brotherhood, of great importance in the city of Llucmajor until the end of the 19th century. Inside the church we can find the interventions of the brotherhood in the tau cross of the central rosette and in the execution of the ecclesial gate.

Alterpiece of Santa Ana (20). Alterpiece baroque style , the 18th century, is dedicated to the mother of Mary, with a series of iconographies that refer to the Holy. It seems that it was the reason for a subsequent readjustment. In an inventory is described with a central niche with an image of the Virgin, a fact that would explain the lack of current unit in the area of the predella in the central street.

 

THE MUSIC IN THE CHURCH (21)

Art is not only material but also immaterial, such as poetry, literature or music. Any church has an important part dedicated to music: choir books, joys, singing of the Sibyl, musical instruments … The previous church already had a choir, built in 1594, and the current one continued with the custom of placing it in elevation in the last section of the ship. Now, among the musical instruments of a church, the organ is undoubtedly the great instrument. In Llucmajor the origin of organ music dates back to 1414, the year in which the construction of an organ by the organ maker Pere Granyera, a musical typology that since then and until today will be heard in the temple of Llucmajor. In 1549 the old organ was redone and enlarged by the organ builder Gaspar Roig.

The new factory also affected the old instrument, since at the end of the 19th century a balcony was built where it was temporarily placed. In 1912 the current balcony was definitively built. The historical organ of the parish comes from the one built by the Swiss organ builder Ludwig Scherrer in 1804 for the church of Santa Eulalia in Palma, which, dismantled at the beginning of the 20th century, was assembled again in the current place together with the parts of the organ old parish

The facade was designed by the local cleric Miquel Salvà. It is an organ formed by typological parts of the Mallorcan classical school and parts of European origin. The instrument is Baroque, with three keyboards. It was restored in 1984 by the German Gerhard Grenzing.

THE MUSEUM OF THE PARISH CHURCH OF SAN MIGUEL

The museum was created in 2004 to preserve and exhibit the artistic objects that the Parish has accumulated during its 750 years of existence. The museum has seven rooms, and each room is dedicated to a specific theme: Gothic art, the projects of the church factory, two goldsmith rooms, two sacristies and the last, dedicated to textile art.

The museum begins in the Rector’s House, influenced by the typical typology of the baroque manor houses of Palma, built in the 18th century. They emphasize the coat of arms of the facade and, in the interior, the balcony, the stairs and the system of arcs and covers that imitates the inner courtyards of Palma textil.

Room 1. Gothic art

The primitive Gothic church possessed medieval altarpieces and paintings. Of all this, there is only the small sample that we find in this room.

Highlights:

Remains of the altarpiece of San Pedro and San Esteban de Gabriel Mòger (1416)
Table of San Abdón and San Senén
Gothic tabernacle (15th century)
Mudéjar coffered ceiling collection

Room 2. From Gothic to Neoclassical

In this corridor of the sacristy we find a sample of the projects of the construction and reform of the current neoclassical church:

Facsimile of the founding of the parish of San Miguel (14th century)
Plans of the reform and decoration of Isidro González Velázquez (1813)
Plans for reinforcement of walls and design of the façade (19th century)

Room 3. Goldsmith’s shop

In the past donations with brass plates were collected. These donations were intended for the devotion of some saints, so small statues of the saint were placed on the plate.

On the other hand, the so-called ploms, small coins with the coat of arms of the Parish and Llucmajor, served as currency of exchange among the parish circles.

Room 4. Private chapel. Goldsmith

The private chapel was built in the 19th century, perhaps because of the exclaustration suffered in that century and the need for new spaces. Today it houses the goldsmith’s of the church. For the different religious celebrations, objects made with precious materials were used and used: silver, brass, …

We can contemplate:
Gothic ciborium (15th century)
Baroque tabernacle of the School of the Oms (1626)
Processional Cross (1685)
Baroque reliquary (18th century)
Major Custody (1764)
Veracruz (19th century)
Neo-Gothic custody (20th century)

Room 5. Sacristy

The sacristy gives access to the transept of the temple. It contains the typical elements of an enclosure annexed to a church.

Highlights:

• Cristo resucitado (1654)
• Cancel de San Miguel (siglo (XVII)
• Bóveda alabeada con nervios estriados helicoidales (1796)
• Mapa del término de Llucmajor (siglo XIX)

Room 6. Major Sacristy

It was built in 1702 and is the one currently used. The two sacristies follow the same type of vaulted arch with ribs and helical fluted columns.

Highlights:

Medieval Arquibancos (16th century)
Chests of drawers (18th century)
Tombstones (18th century)
Oil paintings of the illustrious clergy of the Parish

Room 7. Old Sacristy

Together with the chapel of the Rosary is the oldest area of the Parish (seventeenth century). They emphasize the cherubs imbedded in the walls where the vault of edge begins.

It was subject to later reforms that made it shorter, during which windows were opened and the sink was built. Some reforms followed the guidelines laid out in the planimetry of the architect Isidro González Velázquez in the 19th century. In this room we observe a sample of liturgical fabrics: chasubles, dalmatics, pluvial layers, …