SANTANYI MAGAZINE 06

Santanyí magazine 33 ··· Antonio Flores, Queen Elizabeth II´s chronicler - who visitedAlfàbia in1860-writesabout theestate inhisbook “Crónica del viaje de Sus Majestades y Altezas Reales a las Islas Baleares Cataluña y Aragón” (Chronicle of the Journey of Their Majesties and Royal Highnesses to the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Aragon): “The entrance to the Alfàbia estate is sumptuous, but leaving it on the other side is just breathtaking. Entering the regular sized house, crossing its main rooms which run along and looking out over the gallery that extends onto the grounds, means being absorbed and captured between the most varied and beautiful scenery that human imagination could dream up. Even though the picturesque mountains can be seen ahead of time reaching the estate of Alfabia, it is nonetheless surprising seeing such beautiful, overflowing nature leaving the house. It seems that the same hand created art and nature. One doesn´t know where the garden ends and the mountain begins, both seem to be one and the same.” The collections are often incremented by assignments and donations by private persons – a atruistic gesture reflected on the plate next to the ceded artwork The museum visit is very extensive and includes the visit of the church El Roser (14th to 16th century) and of the parish temple, edified in the years between 1786and 1811, where you can admire the organ made by Jordi Bosch originally for the dominical convent in Palma, which after its closure passed over to the church of Santanyi . During the museum visit you can enjoy a little concert played on this grandiose Baroc-Organ, which counts among the best ones in Europe. A group of volunteers is taking charge of the administration of the parish museum and closely guarding the art treasures. The museum opens its doors for the public every wednesday and saturday morning and is a demonstration of the religiousness of the village and its people, who have been raising this temple century after century with great efforts and providing it with art pieces of great importance.