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According to an ancient legend, the statue of the Virgin of Lluc was discovered one Saturday afternoon amongst the rocks on the bank of the stream that runs behind the present day sacristy by a shepherd and a monk. They immediately carried her to the chapel of Sant Pere d´Escorca, which was in those days the parish church. The next day, however, when the local people came to offer their prayers to her, she had disappeared, and was found once more on the bank of the stream. This happened twice more, and eventually a small chapel was built to house the statue in the place she was originally found.
One of the first documents to mention the ancient chapel of Our Lady of Lluc is the will of Sir Valentí de Ses Torres, dated 31st October, 1268. Another document, dated 1273, bears witness to the large number of pilgrims who were already visiting the shrine, despite the fact that the road was extremely dangerous. The road was improved in the 14th century, and 7 monuments to the Virgin Mary were erected. Of these monuments, carved by Llorenç Tosquella and painted by Pere Merçol, only 2 remain, one of which is currently displayed in the museum of the monastery.
As the cult of the Virgin became more popular it caused changes to the way the monastery was governed, beginning in 1456 when it was declared a Collegiate Church by Pope Calixto III. In 1526, whilst Mn Gabriel Vaquer was Prior, the Statutes were established, later to be confirmed by Pope Clement VII in the bull Pastoralis officii. The most significant of the Statutes was the obligation to celebrate a Mass to the Virgin each morning, to be sung by 6 boy choristers. The origins of these choristers can be traced back to the 13th century, and they became known as the blauets (“blue boys”) because of the colour of the cassocks they wore.
1586 saw the construction of the porxets, to shelter the pilgrims and their animals. In 1589 the star-shaped fountain in the Pilgrims´ Square was built as a water trough for the animals.
The current church, built in the Renaissance style, was begun in 1622 and finished in 1691 with the completion of the façade. The floor is laid out as a Latin cross with one central nave, and 3 chapels on each side, a barrel vault and a dome at the centre of the cross. The arches and cornices were made of local stone. The church measures 28.28m in length, and is 6.70m wide across the nave and 13.45m across the widest part.
The high altar was dedicated in 1684, but the altarpiece, by the Maestro Blanquer, had already been completed, with the statue of the Virgin in her central niche, by 1629.
At the start of the 20th century the whole church was decorated in the same Baroque style as the chancel, following the design of the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. From this time the interior appeared to be covered in gold.
Once work was completed a dedication service was celebrated by Bishop Pere-Joan Campins on 17th July, 1914. There is a statue to this Bishop, one of the great patrons of the monastery, which was erected in 1920 in front of the main door of the church.
Lluc has also received many honours. In 1707 it was given the title of Royal Chapel, by King Charles III of Austria, and in 1962 Pope John XXIII declared it a minor basilica. However the most significant event was the coronation of the statue of the Virgin on 10th August 1884, by the Bishop of Mallorca, Mateu Jaume, acting on behalf of Pope Leo XIII. Over 12,000 people made the pilgrimage to Lluc, and the splendid crown was made for the Virgin by popular subscription.
In 1891 Bishop Jacint Mª Cervera granted the safekeeping of the sanctuary to the Mallorcan order of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Mary and Jesus, and named its founder, Father Joaquim Rosselló i Ferrá, as Prior. In the Magnolia Garden there is a monument to this great missionary, who pushed forward the moral and physical reform of the ancient collegiate church. In 1910 Bishop Pere-Joan Campins, with the agreement of the Holy See, definitely granted the administration of the sanctuary to the order.
In the early 19th century the visitors´ quarters were enlarged and the monuments to the Mystery of the Rosary, each with a bas-relief by the Catalan sculptor Josep Llimona, were erected.
1954 saw the inauguration of the museum, which houses important collections of pieces from the Talayotic period, liturgical ornaments, ceramics and paintings, as well as the treasure of the Virgin. It also displays many works by the painter Josep Coll Bardolet, who made a gift of his personal collection of his own works to the monastery.
The Blauets choir, who sing Mass daily in the name of the people of Mallorca, have played an important role in establishing Lluc as a religious and cultural symbol of Mallorca. The choristers, who board at Lluc, receive a well-rounded religious, cultural and musical education. The choir is one of the oldest in Europe, after the choir school of Montserrat, on which it was modelled. They have recorded various CDs and have performed outside the island on numerous occasions.
The statue of the Virgin of Lluc is carved in painted sandstone. In 1684, doctor Rafel Busquets published the “Book of the Discovery and Miracles of the Marvellous Figure of Our Lady of Lluc” which includes the legend of the discovery of the statue, as well as eighty six miracles, recorded in court records in 1642.
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Picture by Carles Fargas
(Archive of the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya)
Archive J. Rullan Vallcaneras
Picture by Carles Fargas
(Archive of the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya)
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