Minims Convent / Sineu Town Hall

This beautiful old monastery situated in the center of Sineu is a great sight.

The religious order of the Minims derives from Paola, Italy. It was founded in the late 15th century and quickly spread to France, Germany and Spain. The Mínims convent in Sineu was founded in 1667 by the couple Margalida Font de Roqueta Gual Zaforteza i Térmens and Francesc Desbrull i Villalonga, who donated their own house to the cause.

In 1821, the monks and nuns of the convent, along with monks from the Santa Anna in Muro, the convent in Campos and monastery in Santa Maria del Cami, were forced to leave their home and move to a new monastery in Palma. This was due to a new law in Spain, dictating that any monastery with less than 12 inhabitants residing was to be shut down.

Two years later, this law was changed and the monks could return to the convent in Sineu. However, what comes around goes around, and again in 1835 the convent suffered a hard faith being seized by the government of Spain. It was the time of 1st Carlist War, and prime minister, Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, seized all monastic properties in Spain that did not cultivate their soil, to sell them to private investors in order to raise more money to support queen Isabella II. This is referred to as “La Desamortización”.

The convent of Minims is built in beautiful baroque architectural style, with a trapezoid floor plan. Inside the courtyard, notice the beautifully carved columns with religious motifs on them, and the rather flat arches they support. In the middle of the courtyard, an old well is standing, the vat of this has the inscription “Charitas” , the slogan of the minims.

From 1877, the building of the convent has been home to the town hall of Sineu. Entrance is free, and well worth a visit!