Llucmajor

Llucmajor – Mallorca: a little bit of  History

The name Llucmajor  probably comes from the  Latin LUCUS MAIORIS, wich means greater forest.It is very likely that the farm Llucmajor was full by a large forest. This th seems to be the only accepted.

The prehistoric set of Capocorb Vell, in the south of the municipality,is the most known exponent of the island of the la Bronce Age. It is one of the most important towns in the Western  Mediterranean, thanks to its conservation. Also, it is one of the first places of  Mallorca that haven been excavated and studied, and also one of the most extensive.

Until the arrival of  Christianity, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans left their mark on  Llucmajor. The only testimony of those times is a fragmented gravestone, which was found in the Navy. This headstone contains a single Word, as a toponym “Egnatuleia”.

On 31 December 1229, the island of  Mallorca was  conquered by  King Jaume I, beginning another period of  prosperity. Later,  in the  year 1300,  his son Jaume II founded the town of Llucmajor.

The decadence of the Kingdom of  Mallorca culminated in the most important milestone of our history: The Battle of Llucmajor,                  was occurred  on october 25, 1349. In it, Jaume III, the last King of Mallorca, lost his live and his kingdom, being thus annexed to the  Kingdom of  Aragon.

During the fourteenth to eighteenth centuries, the south  coast of Mallorca was  subjected to the  constant threat of  corsair expeditions that did not  allow the rest of the  defenders of the  Majorcan coasts. Nowadays, the defense and guard towers of  S’Estalella,  Cap Blanc,  Cap Enderrocat  and Cala Pi  are still the latent testimony  of those struggles.
By Royal Decree of  October 3,  1916, King Alfonso XIII granted  Llucmajor  the title of city.

Until beginning of the the 20th century, there was a vigorous agricultura and a large cattle herd in Llucmajor. Llucmajor  had and important footwear industry; Now replaced by the Hotel, the industry of sausages and liqueurs, as well as an outstanding craftsmanship of Stone, iron and wood.

With an area of 325 km², the municipality of  Llucmajor  is the most extensive in  Mallorca,  15 minutes from Son Sant Joan airport and  20 minutes  from  Palma.

 

¿What can we visit in Llucmajor?

The “Placeta del Sabater” (Plaza del Zapatero) , popularly known as the jardinet ” (the garden), has a triangular Surface and in its center is a monument, composed of Stone of  Santanyí, with which is honored to the cobblers, profession of the most inhabitants of  Llucmajor  until  the  70’s of the last century. The work of the sculptor  Tomás Vila, inaugurated in 1963, represents differente scenes of this office.

The Statue of King Jaume III

In the  center of Llucmajor,  visitors can admire buildings with character, modernist facades, que which were built at the beginning of the 20th century, influenced by the artistic current of the moment. Among them we can mention: “Ca Ses Xilenes” (house of the Chilenas),  “Colón” Cafe,  Antic Hotel España,  Tabu Bar or  “La Caixa” building.

The current parish church of  Sant Miquel , the work of the architect  Isidro González Velázquez, was built on a Gothic style from  1386. It is traditional and classicist, with Baroque influence  and lacking in architectural  ornamentation, notable for its grandeur and bell tower of colosal altitude.
Las obras empezaron en 1784 y finalizaron presumiblemente hacia 1866, fecha que figura sobre el portal mayor. En esta iglesia descansaron los restos mortales del Rey Jaume III antes de ser trasladados a la Catedral de Palma.

The current parish church of Sant Miquel, the work of the architect Isidro González Velázquez, was built on a Gothic style from 1386. It is traditional and classicist, with Baroque influence and lacking in architectural ornamentation, notable for its grandeur and bell tower Of colossal altitude.

The works began in 1784 and ended presumably towards 1866, date that appears on the greater portal. In this church rested the mortal remains of King Jaume III before being transferred to the Cathedral of Palma.

The Town Hall was inaugurated on January  27,  1884. It has four floors  and a roof and on the facade you can see a lower Mallorcan marble cladding.The portal  is flanked by two Windows, on which appears in Stone letters  “House Consistorial, year 1882”, in addition to the shield of the city . Entering the building, you will find on the left side the old shield of the city of  Llucmajor, dating from 1626.

The Fish Market  (former fishmonger), whose  construction was completed in 1916 and which alredy had gas installation for lighting, is the work of the architect  Jaume Alenyar.  The building is of  modernist character, with a simple structure and a single floor with few decorative elements.Today the Tourist Office of  Llucmajor is nowadays open.

The Convent and church of Sant Bonaventura. In 1608, the  Franciscan  settled in the present site and the church was built between  1620 and 1656. The convent was built after the temple in the second half of the seventeenth century. The  convent, in Renaissance style as well as sober and elegant lines, was the penultimate one  founded by the  Franciscans in Mallorca.(With its mural paintings and painted tiles, as well as the trail of Father Boscana who also came to  California, after the footsteps of  Junípero Serra).
The statue of “S’Espigolera”, located in front of the Convent of  Sant Bonaventura and made in  bronze in  1965  by the sculptor Horacio de Eguía, illustrates  a girl with braids, dressed  in the typical  Mallorcan costume and carryng a bundle of spikes. The  monument is dedicated to Maria Antonia Salvá, poetess of the city, whose poems describe the life in the countryside.

 

 

• View Related Experiences
• View Related Hotels