CHURCH OF SAN BARTOLOME
(SÓLLER)
11
MAIN CHAPEL. CHANCE, ALTAR AND CHOIR SEATS
While the modernist works of the temple were being carried out, under the rectorate of Sebastià Maimó, important modifications were made to the presbytery. Before, the presbytery did not occupy the entire surface of the main chapel, so the door that connects the sacristy and the presbytery opened onto the church and not the main altar. The same was true of the door at the opposite end facing the bell tower. In 1907 the presbytery came to occupy the entire main chapel. For this reason two new doors are opened, one that connects the chapel of Saint John with the sacristy and the other the chapel of Saint Anthony with the bell tower.
At that time, the stalls, which were in the choir gallery, are moved to the main altar. This stall that we can see on both sides of the presbytery is made of mulberry wood and is the work of the solleric carpenter Pere Vidal "Barrera". It is a Gothic work from 1508. These seats were commissioned by the Juries. Half was paid by the City Council and the other half by the Church: each priest paid his own.
In 1934 it was decided to make the current altar of the main chapel to replace the old one made of stone and mortar.
In the vault of the main chapel we can see the coat of arms of Sóller and the date of 1947. It refers to the moment in which the hole in the vault was covered due to the damage caused by the 1946 tornado.