The church

It has a Latin cross floorplan, barrel vault roof and dome over the transept. Following the artistic canons of its day, it’s neoclassical in style with a predominance of white and gold, giving the church an almost lively air. Several artists were involved in decorating the building. The Catalan sculptor Adrià Ferran created the Descent from the Cross on the main altarpiece, showing the inert body of Jesus in the arms of his mother, accompanied by some angels and crowned with the image of Saint Catalina Thomas, a native of Valldemossa who had close links with the Carthusian monks. Both representations are by the Catalan sculptor Adrià Ferran, created around 1812. The altarpiece was originally flanked by another two sculptures by the same artist, Saint Bruno and Saint John the Baptist. However, these were moved to Mallorca cathedral when the monastery was expropriated in 1835 and the current pieces are by the sculptor Llinás.

Friar Manuel Bayeu, a brother-in-law of Goya, created the frescoes on the dome. The oil paintings on the walls were created by Friar Joaquín Juncosa and the two marble medallions on the doors were made by the Barcelona native Folch i Costa.

The fine work on the choir seating is also of note and was carried out by the Mallorcan craftsman, Sebastián Muntaner, as well as the antependium, the seat for the hebdomadarius and the Evangeliary, as are the original tiles used to pave the church’s beautiful floor.

There is also a very large lectern in the centre of the church.