Sant Francesc basilica

Religious | Palma de Mallorca

Ramon Llull’s grave is located in the second chapel radiating out from the altar end of the Sant Francesc basilica. The church was designed by Francesc Sagrera in 1487. In the lower part are the niches where the allegorical figures of the seven arts were to be placed, the trivium and the quadrivium. In the middle are the coats-of-arms of Mallorca, the Catholic Kings and the Llull family line. And above is the sarcophagus of the Illuminated Doctor (Doctor Illuminatus, as Llull was known), with a reclining sculpture showing two angels accompanying the soul of the deceased into heaven. Here we can situate a strophe from Cant de Ramon, which talks autobiographically about old age. The poem might date from the end of Lully’s sojourn in Paris in around 1299. It is a true gem of Lullian lyricism because of its declaredly human character and its notes of sensitivity: Sóc hom vell, pobre, menyspreat, no hai ajuda d'home nat e hai trop gran fait emparat. Gran res hai de lo món cercat; mant bon eximpli hai donat: poc són conegut e amat. Vull morir en pèlag d'amor… (I am an old, poor, scorned man, there is no help from any man born and protected by a great faith. There is nothing in the world sought but a good example I have given: I am little known and loved I want to die in a sea of love.) Legend has it that Ramon Llull was stoned to death in 1316 in the North African city of Bougie. Seriously wounded, he was carried away by Genovese sailors and died in the ship that was transporting him to Mallorca just off the coast of the island. Gaston Vuillier re-creates the legend: “In Bougie he was wounded and finally stoned by the inhabitants at the gateway to the city. Some Genovese fishermen gathered his corpse and departed for his homeland. But when they thought they were entering the port of Genoa they realised that instead they were off the coast of Mallorca. They resolved to once again pursue the goal of their journey, but the boat, retained by a mysterious force, did not move forward despite their efforts and the favourable wind that filled the sails. They disembarked on the land, told the wondrous deed there and finally understood that they were destined to return Ramon Llull’s body to this land. Then, resuming their journey, they travelled without hindrances.” Vuillier goes on: “It had been decided that the corpse would be deposited in Santa Eulàlia church where the ashes of his ancestors rested. However, the religious men of Sant Francesc claimed him as a member of their community, and he was placed with great pomp within the sacristy of the convent and later transported to the grave he currently occupies.”