Monastery of Bellpuig

By Alfaomega (Own work [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

The origins of the Monastery of Bellpuig date back to 1230, when, following the Christian conquest of Mallorca, King Jaume I gave the Premonstratensian monks the eastern region of Mallorca. The monks took advantage of existing constructions to build their monastery and adapted the Moorish irrigation network for their own crops. The monastery contains a small church, a square courtyard and various other constructions, some of which are in ruins. The primitive-Gothic style church, which was begun in 1240, has a rectangular form and a single nave with a vault roof.

In 1425 the monks exchanged this site for the lands of the Monastery of La Mare de Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes, in Catalonia. From this moment on, the Monastery of Bellpuig d´Artà became a farmhouse. In 1999 it became the public property of the Island Council of Mallorca.

The monastery is located at 1.5 km from Artà within a beautiful setting where holm oaks abound. In order to get here you have to take the old Palma de Mallorca road from the old train station (where trains ran until 1977) towards Capdepera, and then you take the first track on the right (known as Camí del Rafal d´Alt) and after 200 metres you´ll find a sharp turn and you have to follow a straight track down to the bridge of the Ocell Verd, which crosses a torrent. Having crossed the torrent, you reach a small slope, at the top of which is a crossroads. You have to take the track on the right, known as S´Estelrica. After following this for 500 metres you´ll come to Mustí Vell on the right – this is a building constructed by the Franciscans in the 15th century, where they stayed until the middle of the 17th century, when the current convent in the village of Artà was built. You have to continue on as far as the electricity sub-station belonging to the electricity company Gesa, from where you have to follow the track on the left, which isn´t tarmacked. 200 metres further on you´ll get to the climb which will take you to the Monastery of Bellpuig.