Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of Mercy

In 1856, the Priest Marià Ribes de Pina, and his sister, Josepa Maria, founded the Congregation: ‘Filles de la Misericòrdia’ (Sisters of Mercy), which quickly spread to other locations in Mallorca. The Early Christian Convent was located inside the islet of the Church, and in 1891, a new building was constructed, which was connected to the old convent with a bridge.

The Chapel was inaugurated in 1924; it was designed by the architect, Francesc Ferrer Moragues. The convent, was considered the headquarters of congregatrion, and was a novitiate’s house from 1862 until the 1980’s.

A lintel doorway connects to a small foyer where there are three doorways; the left one provides access to the Entrance Hall, with an outstanding pictorial decoration, such as a portrait of the Founder, Monsignor Gabriel M. Ribes. On the right, a rectangular patio contains the sculpture of Sant Francesc blessing Friar Lleó.

The chapel has a façade with an ogive arch doorway, with the Franciscan Coat of Arms in the tympanum, a Rose window, three small windows, and crowned with a steeple. The interior defines a nave with a rectangular floor plan, with a coffered wood ceiling in the nave, and extending beams in the Presbytery and gallery buttressed by a skene arch. The Presbytery has an entrance by means of a semi-circular transversal arch, and in the background, a niche contains the “Sagrari” (Tabernacle), with a sculptured relief of the “Sagrada Familia” (Holy Family) and Sant Francesc by the sculptor, Oliver. To the right, there is a sculpture of the Mare de Déu de la Inmaculada, and on two sides, Ogive arch stained glass windows; to the left, the Sacristy doorway opens with a Neo-Gothic convex moulding. Below the gallery, there is a sculpture of Sant Francesc.