Mallorca Info

Valldemossa

Valldemossa (in Catalan) or Valldemosa (in Spanish) is a village and municipality on the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.

Valldemossa grew famous for one landmark: The Royal Charterhouse of Jesus of Nazareth, built from the first years of the XIV century, when the mystic and philosopher Ramon Llull was living in this area of Majorca.

In the 1830s the Spanish government confiscated monasteries, and the historic estate was sold to private owners who have housed since several prominent guests. Among these visitors were the composer Frédéric Chopin and French writer and pioneering feminist George Sand (who wrote her acclaimed account "A Winter in Majorca" based on their visit in 1838-9, praising the natural beauty of this island but highly critical of what she perceived as the prejudice and moral vices of the native population).

Later the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío was host 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 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.

Since the XIX century Valldemossa was promoted internationally as a beautiful spot thanks to the affection of a distinguished traveller and cultural writer, the Austrian Archduke Ludwig Salvator.

As a trivia,until this year's elections the town's mayor was the only one in the democratic Kingdom of Spain to remain in office from the times of the Francoist dictatorship (which legally disappeared as the current Spanish Constitution of 1978 was passed)