Santuari de Cura – Sanctuary of Healing.
Santuari de Cura Monastery is a spiritual, natural, cultural and historical space. Ramona Llulla turned this space into a place closely related to the history of Majorca. You can sleep on the spot. Currently, the sanctuary is transformed into an accommodation facility with a restaurant, museum and souvenir shop. The restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine.
Is it worth taking a trip to the Sanctuary?
There are many shrines in Majorca. I admit that churches and sanctuaries or religious orders are not something for me. It’s not something I always enjoy visiting on my vacation. I am definitely a supporter of views, bays, castles. But … an indispensable part of visiting another place is its unique architecture. And If You want ot not – churches and sanctuaries are historical places that have a lot of charm. Even in terms of architecture. That’s why I have decided to describe you also these monuments!
What distinguishes Santuari de Cura?
The Nuestra Señora de Cura sanctuary dominates the Puig de Randa (543 m). It is the highest point in the center of the island and is one of the sacred mountains of Majorca. Near the top of the mountain there are remains of a fortified castle from the Islamic era. Since the conquest of Jaime I there are indications that the mountain is considered an ideal place for ascetic and contemplative life. In the second half of the fourteenth century, the mountain established its position as a religious space and a place of worship and contemplation.
Ramon Llull got enlightenment here.
From this place he initiated his intense and extensive intellectual and missionary trajectory. He devoted himself to working for a new world order, reforming the Church and introducing an innovative philosophical system. Followers of Llull were attracted by the location and continued the project. They established a hermitage and a place of study there.
From the fifteenth century to the first third of the nineteenth century, the tiny hermitage of Lul gave way to the temple dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Cura.
Her stone painting from the 15th century can be seen in the oratory. Next to the oratory, there is the Junior High School. Founded first as a School of Lulia (Pere Joan Llobet). And then led by various patrons and humanists in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which became one of the three major grammar schools in Mallorca. They are managed by the city Palma de Mallorca.
The de Cura shrine has for three centuries combined three dimensions: Marian devotion, Lulian devotion and knowledge.
Due to its location, in the center of the island, and due to its physical characteristics, it was the center of important religious festivities. Related to agriculture, such as “blessing fruits” whose origins date back to the Middle Ages. After the closure of the Junior High School, the Sanctuary entered a period of disintegration and neglect. At that time, the cult of the Virgin and other ceremonies was denied. The priests responsible for the sanctuary could not keep the premises. For seventy years, the buildings have significantly deteriorated. It can be seen in the photographs taken at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the summer of 1913, the Bishop of Majorca, Pere Joan Campins, commissioned the Third Regular Order of St. Francis, to renew the buildings and restore the honor of the Virgin and devotion to Ramon Llull.
So in the last hundred years this convent has transformed this place into a modern sanctuary. The construction of the present monastery, guest rooms and rooms for brothers began in 1947. The image of the Virgin Mary received a papal coronation in 1955. Restaurant and rooms were opened in 1956. Randa liqueur, bearing the formula patented by the brothers, is one of their own products that visitors can taste today.
Opening hours and prices.
Entrance to the Sanctuary is free. As for the opening hours, I will describe only the opening hours of the Sanctuary. As for the opening hours of the restaurant and hotel facility – I invite you to the link here:
The sanctuary is open every day of the year except for the second and third week of November. It is also closed on all holidays.
As for the museum, souvenir shop and church: http://www.santuaridecura.com/
In winter, they are open from 10:00 to 13:30, and then from 15:00 to 17:00.
In summer they are open from 10:00 to 13:30, and then from 15:00 to 18:00.
Masses take place every Sunday at 12:00.
The garden, promenade and views around the sanctuary are beautiful.
The sanctuary is located on the holy mountain. Rustic views stretch for kilometers. Getting to the sanctuary is very easy. There is a small, free car park on site. There are various trips to the top. We found a trip that moved on horseback. There were several beautiful horses on the site. I do not know why, but horses always give me an idyllic atmosphere to a place. Thanks to them, I can imagine how it could have once been.
There is also a Doppler Radar on the holy mountain.
As the mountain is the highest mountain in the center of Majorca, it was the perfect place for the location of the Radar. The radar is designed to study atmospheric conditions. It examines air movement, detects clouds and examines their speed of movement.
I heartily recommend you visit Santuari de Cura. A place not only on the holy mountain – it with beautiful views and beautiful architecture.
