On a clear day you can see the whole coastline of Menorca from the highest point in Menorca, Monte Toro. We can gaze across to the large and tranquil bay of Fornells with bright darting sails, the Artrutx Lighthouse where the land ends, the long white beach of Son Bou to the south with such different pale sand in comparison to the north’s rugged gold. You’ll be surprised to see how much woodland there is from this height of 357 meters. And while you’re there you can visit the sanctuary of Mare de Déu del Toro, still run by a community of Franciscan nuns. Inside this place of worship is the wooden carved image of the Virgen del Toro, the patron saint of Menorcans. The church’s interior presents one nave and three chapels on either side. Next to the church is a defence tower that was built at the end of the 16th century. The silhouette of Monte Toro can be seen from practically every town in Menorca. The best view of the island can be appreciated from its summit. It is well worth visiting the sanctuary and eating in the restaurant. The origins of the sanctuary date back to the 13th century, and it is said that the image of the Virgin was found at the top of the mountain by a group of monks who were accompanied by a bull that led the way. However, the name Toro actually comes from “tor”, of pre-roman origin, like the Catalan word turó (hill). Between 1595 and 1835, it was a monastery for Augustine monks and the sanctuary is now run by a group of Franciscan sisters of Mercy.
This is a landmark architectural complex at the heart of the old town of Ciudadela, giving it huge potential as a focus of considerable cultural interest. The Church of St Mary, consecrated as a cathedral in 1795, was built on the orders of King Alfonso III after the conquest of Minorca (1287). It belongs to the Catalan Gothic style with a single 14.5-metre-wide nave, covered by a cross-ribbed vault in six sections, 23 m in height. The chapels are separated by three-lobed pilasters topped by capitals decorated with floral motifs. The Cathedral was severely pillaged on two occasions, the first being the Turkish assault of 1558, and this second during the Spanish Civil War. From the late 16th century onwards it underwent considerable refurbishment over the centuries. The Neoclassical gateway on the main facade, for example, conceals a particularly significant older Gothic gateway. A comprehensive restoration process began in 1986, both outside and within, giving the cathedral a new appearance and highlighting its spaciousness while giving natural light pride of place. The restored choir seating reinstated the seats and episcopal throne belonging to the former choir dating from the 18th century. Particular mention should be made of the Chapel of Souls, dating from the late 17th century, in the Baroque style, the Neoclassical Chapel of the Holy Virgin, from the 19th century, and the Chapel of the Most Holy, built at the end of the same century. The bell tower reveals at the base the former minaret of the main mosque of the Moslem Medina. In summer the Cathedral hosts organ concerts which make a visit all the more worthwhile. The organ, built in 1993 by Gabriel Blancafort i París, is positioned above the Clock Gateway (Gateway of Light). The Cathedral Museum likewise provides an insight into its treasures (liturgical vestments, works in precious metals, wood carvings, paintings and other exhibits of particular interest)
Near the palace of the second branch of the Saura, is the church of Sant Crist, a small chapel dating back to 1662, when the guild of carding (wool artisans) of Ciutadella de Menorca agreed to buy an old house and restore it to the image of his patron, Sant Crist dels Paraires. Following the patterns of religious architecture of the time, the architect Pere Sureda built the chapel for four years and, today, is one of the best examples of Baroque architecture are preserved Minorcan. The temple, with a single nave interior rectangular cover laps, trapezoidal apse and walls decorated with frescoes of the time, also has a central dome. In 2006 the image of Sant Crist Paraires dels, carved in the seventeenth century by an anonymous artist, was restored, allowing recovery of blood drops painted sculpture.
La church parish de Santa Eulalia, located in the high part of municipality of Alaior , is one of the monuments more prominent and representative the village. Its origins date back to the fourteenth century, when King James II founded a parish on a Muslim mosque for the ancient Arab settlement "Ihalor". The structure of the temple was rebuilt and restored in the seventeenth century, between 1674 and 1690. The interior of the church is very late Gothic while abroad, whose imposing appearance resembles a fortified church, a factory shows solid lateral façade buttressed with balustrade and two octagonal turrets at the corners.
The church of San Martín de Mercadal is built on the foundations of what was then called the Old Church. This building began construction in August 1767, when the people of Mercadal undergoes a slight expansion. This is a spacious temple and simple lines with clear reminiscences Renaissance, giving it a sleek look. The windows which are provided in the upper part to a magnificent illumination coverage. Adjoining the nave is a solid belfry that spreads the ringing of the bells for the entire population.
Constructed on the site of the Gothic church of the 13th-15th centuries, the present-day parish church of Santa María dates back to the 18th century. Building began during the first British period, in 1748, and did not finish until forty years later. The bell tower was built between 1859 and 1868. Santa María, which is larger than its medieval predecessor, is a hall church with a single nave. In spite of its late construction – when Neoclassicism was beginning to triumph in Europe – the nave partially follows the structural patterns of Gothic architecture, as it has six sections covered by cross vaults. The spaces between buttresses contain the side chapels. In the late 19th century the side chapels were decorated with Neo-Gothic ornamentation. The interior is inspired by Neo-Gothic, and has a monumental organ of great instrumental and artistic quality. In 1806 the rector Gabriel Alenyar commissioned the master organ-builders Francisco Otter and Johan Kiburz, residents of Barcelona, to build it. When it was completed, in 1809, transportation problems arose, due to the Napoleonic Wars and its size (15 metres high by 9 wide). It has four keyboards and 3006 sound pipes, 197 of which are made of wood and the rest of metal. Eventually it was inaugurated in 1810 and the artistic ornamentation was carried out by the Menorcan sculptor, Francesc Comas.
Neoclassical temple made by the Frenchman Antoine D'Allemand between the late seventeenth and eighteenth century much. It is a temple of a single rectangular nave vault and side chapels. Stresses its facade, white, with a beautiful portico with three arches on which stands the pediment with coat of arms of France. In the back of the temple bell tower stands over 30 meters high formed by two bodies, the lower square and octagonal.
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