Mare de Déu del Toro Sanctuary

Monte Toro lies in the geographical centre of Menorca, in the district of Es Mercadal and half way between Maó and Ciutadella. It is the highest point on Menorca, and the only place where an aerial view of the countryside can be seen. The early settlers built a watchtower here, on top of which the present defence tower was built later, in 1558. In the entrance courtyard, a monument recalls the Menorcans who emigrated to Florida in the 18th Century.

We enter into a whitewashed patio through a great doorway, which leads us towards a small chapel built between the end of the 16th century and beginnings of the 17th on top of an originally gothic church. Nowadays, its is permanently open to the public, we can appreciate a view of the wood carved figure of the Toro Virgin, patron saint of the Menorcans. The church conserves a curious doorway decorated with two clock faces and two giant bows. The interior has a single nave, with three chapels on each side.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.