Convent Of Santa Magdalena

Religious | Palma de Mallorca

The origins of the monastery of Augustinian canonesses of Santa María Magdalena lie in the hospital we already hear news of in the early 14th century. The incorporation of the nuns was the work of King Pere the Ceremonious, who convened the transfer to Mallorca of some nuns from the convent in Barcelona. The surviving documents offer little information on life in the convent of old or the Gothic construction of the church. The surviving medieval heritage consists of three singular manifestations of Gothic art, evidence of the growth of the community in the second half of the 14th century. The oldest, most important work is the altarpiece dedicated to Santa Magdalena, which must have presided over the Gothic church: the central table, with an external figure of the saint, is the work of Francesc Comes; the side tables are attributable to the so-called Master of Bishop Galiana, and the central pinnacle is considered to be the work of Joan Daurer, all of them great 14th century Mallorcan Gothic painters. The monumental table of Santa Helena, attributed to Rafel Mòger is also of interest. And a third work is the small altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Saint Michael and Saint John the Baptist, the work of Joan Rosado or Rosetó. All these paintings are in the Chapterhouse Room of the monastery, and the artists responsible for them are some of the most reputed Mallorcan Gothic painters. With the presence in the 16th century of the nun Catalina Tomàs, who later became a saint, a new era of splendour commenced in the monastery, under the patronage of Cardinal Despuig.