The Parish Church of Santa Margalida

In the municipality of Santa Margalida there are a total of six religious architectural elements protected for their historical and artistic value. These religious elements are of various categories: small rural oratories located in “possessions”, the rectory house, the municipal cemetery and the Parish Church of Santa Margalida. These constructions have managed to remain for centuries, more or less transformed, thanks to the fact that they have had a continuous use in time and have been put to devotion.

Within the town centre, at the highest point of Santa Margalida is the jewel of the village, the Parish Church of Santa Margalida. The retaining wall of the clayey hill on which the temple is situated is one of the most attractive spaces in the village. There you can see the wide cultivated plains that surround Santa Margalida. At the same time, the wall and the silhouette of the church make up one of the most characteristic profiles of the village.

The church was built in the thirteenth century on the land where in Islamic times was located the alquería of Hiachat. Tradition says that the church would have taken its title due to the discovery of an image of Santa Margalida in a cave located on the land where the building was built. However, historical data indicate that the dedication to Santa Margalida would have been due to the fact that the first clergymen of the parish came from Santa Margalida de Empúries (Catalonia). With the passage of time, the temple became obsolete in order to accommodate the entire population and was replaced in 1660 by the current building.

The temple is a clear example of Baroque religious architecture of the towns on the island of Mallorca. Its façade is only decorated with lines and a rose window. The main doorway and the figures that accompany it: Santa Margarita, San Pedro and San Juan Bautista also attract attention. Inside, part of the old Gothic altarpiece that was to preside over the previous temple is preserved, with one of the most important representations of Mallorcan Gothic with Senesis influence that are conserved in Mallorca. On the other hand, there are other altarpieces from later periods that are also outstanding, such as the main altarpiece from the 18th century, the one of San Francisco from the end of the 16th century or the one of San Sebastián.

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