San Salvador Sanctuary

Monuments | Artà

Sant Salvador corresponds to the most emblematic place of Artá. Located on a small hill that dominates the entire environment of the village. The most outstanding elements of the complex are the walled enclosure, the sanctuary and the outbuildings of Es Donat. Its location has meant that it has been a strategic place throughout different historical periods. The first news we have of the place are from the Muslim occupation of the island, being located on top of a fortification, known as Almudaina, which had a mosque. With the Catalan conquest of the island, King James I, appropriated this site, converting the mosque into a Christian temple. The enclosure of the wall describes an ellipse, highlighting the main tower, dedicated to San Miguel. In the 16th century it was rebuilt as a place of refuge for the locals from corsair attacks; and in 1967, the entire enclosure was restored at the request of the Society of Friends of the Castles, erecting a new tower and placing battlements around the perimeter. The present sanctuary is a building that was begun in 1825 and blessed in 1832, although the two towers that flank it were not finished until the end of the century. Formally it is a church of Renaissance style, of Latin cross, without apse and covered with barrel vault. The dome, decorated by Salvador Torres in 1892, represents the Glory. Inside is preserved the Romanesque carving of the Virgin Sant Salvador, originally from the monastery of Bellpuig, patron saint of Artá since 1922. The original 13th century church was burned down when it was used as a hospital during the plague of 1820. It is also worth mentioning the Donat house, a building from around the 16th century, used as a house for the person in charge of the maintenance of the Almudaina and the sanctuary. Its current appearance is due to the reconstruction it underwent in 1971. The building is structured on two levels. This is flanked by two linteled windows and closed by an iron trellis. But the most significant element of this building is located in the first height of the facade, it is a Renaissance window framed by two semi-detached columns that support an architrave ornamented with geometric plant motifs. Thanks to the restoration carried out, this building can be seen in its maximum splendor.