The town of Felanitx in Majorca

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Introduction

Felanitx is a small town located in the southern part of Mallorca (county of Migjorn), which has tens of thousands of people. It is also the capital of a municipality that includes some villages, Portocolom, who plays the role of the port of Felanitx, other small resorts such as Cala Ferrera and Cala Serena, and picturesque villages inside S ’Horta and Cas Concos des Cavaller, in total, the town has nearly 18,000 inhabitants.

Important wine center in the nineteenth century, the city and its port were ruined by the phylloxera epidemic of the century, it is now trying to revive the production of wine and spirits, and still produces nearly a third of the Majorcan production.

Etymology and toponymy

Felanitx The name comes from the Latin "fenalicius" a place where fénas (Latin fenum, hay), different species of grasses Brachypodium genus (Brachypodium sp.), Not hay grows, and are also denied by livestock.

In Castilian Spanish, Felanitx is called Felanich.

The people of Felanitx are called "Felanitxer".

Location

Felanitx is located in the south-eastern part of Mallorca and is separated from the east coast in the southern part of the Serra de Llevant.

The town of Felanitx borders the municipalities of Manacor north of Santanyí south of Campos in the west, and Porreres and Villafranca de Bonany northwest.

Felanitx is at a distance of about 48 km southeast of the capital, Palma.

Southeast of Felanitx are the Puig de Sant Salvador (510 m), crowned by a sanctuary, and the Puig de Santueri (423 m), flanked by a medieval castle.

Visits

The Church of St. Michael (Església de Sant Miquel)
The beginning of the construction of the parish church of St. Michael dates back to the mid-fourteenth century (1363) and the construction lasted until the eighteenth century. This explains the diversity of styles of the church. The first phase of construction of the chapel remains Passion, late Gothic, which is the current St. Francis Chapel, built in 1442 under the direction of sculptor Guillem Sagrera. The building was revived in the mid-sixteenth century, around 1551 and until 1603. From this period dates the Renaissance portal. Above the gate you can see a bas-relief of St. Michael trampling a demon. The tower and staircase dating from the seventeenth century. The upper part of the facade is an artsy baroque work completed around 1746. Front of St. Michael’s Church is the fountain St. Margaret (Font de Santa Margalida), which, since Roman times, was the basis of the water supply of the population of Felanitx. Its rediscovery goes back to work in the years 1829-1830. In 1940, during a drought, the fountain was dug more deeply, July 20, the day of St. Margaret, they found water in abundance: its name comes from this event.
The St. Augustine Monastery
The Convent of St. Augustine of Felanitx was founded in 1603 with the beginning, a small church, the convent building, with its cloister was built in the years 1646 to 1690, the convent was enlarged in the early eighteenth century, with the large chapel Saint-Nicolas (Sant Niclau de Toentí), built between 1715-1748. In 1821, the monastery was confiscated once, but returned to his vocation in 1823, after the abrogation of the Constitution. In 1835 the convent was to confiscated permanently and then sold again in 1844, the monastery was destroyed.
Dancers Els Cavallets
The great cultural attraction Felanitx is a traditional dance group, named Els Cavallets (the small horses), composed of six dancers and a "Lady" (Dama). The group consists of children aged 10 to 13 years, and the dancers are disguised as riders on a horse the size of cardboard, they are dressed in a red military tunic and white pants decorated with bells and wearing a green hat. The "Lady" is wearing a green dress and a red hair, she shakes the hand of a white handkerchief, which is a measure of the dance. The group is accompanied by bagpipe music. This tradition was founded at the same time as the Augustinian convent in 1603. The group gives its shows the day of the feast of St. Augustine and the feast of St. Margaret.
Puig de Sant Salvador
The highlight of the town of Felanitx is the Puig de San Salvador, with a height of 510 meters in the southern part of the Serra de Llevant.

At the top of the Mount is a shrine, a monument to Christ the King and a monumental cross.

History, geography, arts, traditions, flora…

History
The Revolt of the Germanies
A notable episode in the history of the revolt of Felanitx was Germanies (Brotherhoods), a peasant revolt of peasants and artisans against the nobility. Like all cities of Majorca, except Alcúdia, Felanitx fell to rebel peasants and artisans. Loyalists, supporters of the king, nicknamed "mascarats" found refuge in Castle of Santueri.

After the landing of the royal army in Alcúdia in August 1522, a mayor Onofre Ferrandell, Felanitx was appointed by the viceroy, November 6, 1522, when he stood before the people to read the royal charters, he was assassinated, and other loyalists, and his house burned down. The next day, November 7, Felanitx was occupied by the royal army.

One of the leaders of the peasant revolt of the Germanies, Joanot Colom, was from Felanitx and was Hatter in Palma where he participated in the resistance of the city until March 7, 1923, when the Germanies capitulated. Joanot was imprisoned for two months Bellver Castle, then beheaded and quartered 3 June 1523. The four pieces of his body were displayed on poles in various parts of the city, which certainly had a sobering…

Characters
Guillem Sagrera
The architect and sculptor Guillem Sagrera (1380-1456) was born in Felanitx. He was the owner of the Saint John the Baptist cathedral of Perpignan ; in Palma he worked at the cathedral where he realized the portal Belvedere, the Gothic chapter house and the chapel of St. William. He also realized the Merchant Lodge (his Llotja) Palma. He finished his career in Naples, Italy where he died. His work is in the style of late Majorcan Gothic.

Economy
Felanitx is historically famous for its wines and brandies, this activity reached its peak in 1749, when there were 60 distilleries in the region. The epidemic of phylloxera dealt a severe blow to this activity.

Practical Information

The Tourist Office

Address: Avenida Cala Marçal, 15

Phone: 00 34 971 826 084

Hours: Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00. Also open on Saturday mornings.