WELCOME

The Community of Christians of the Valley of Sóller welcomes you to the Parish of San Bartholomew, Patron Saint of Sóller. On the occasion of the conquest of Mallorca, on December 31, 1229, the first churches were established in different places on the island. We know that Ferrer de Sant Martí, procurator of Tarragona, who had participated in the conquest of Mallorca from the Muslims and in the subsequent distribution, endowed the sollerica church with a quarter of the tithes that had corresponded to it from Sóller. For this reason we can consider him as the founder of this temple. Pope Innocent IV, in the bull issued in Lyon on April 14, 1248, placed the Parish of Sóller under the protection of Saint Bartholomew. This bull is the list of the first parishes of our island. We know of that primitive church that it was in the style of the different churches of the conquest that can still be seen in Mallorca. In 1370, that primitive temple threatened ruin and a new one was built. It was much smaller than the current one and was located, more or less, between the current chapels of Saint Anthony, where the entrance door to the church was, and the chapel of Saint John where the main altar was. Therefore, that building was as long as the present church is wide. On the occasion of a corsair attack on the town of Sóller, on May 11, 1561, a large quadrilateral fortification was built. It enclosed the entire 14th century church and the cemetery of Sóller, located next to the temple. It had to protect the population and at the same time the attackers could be shot through the loopholes in the wall. Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the baroque church was built, which, inside, is the one that can be seen today. The architect Joan Rubió i Bellver, a disciple of Antoni Gaudí, managed the modernist works between 1904 and 1907. The great façade that you had seen from the square is a Gothic modernism. Inside, the chapels of Baptism and Souls were built, expanding the church, at the time of the modernist works, maintaining the aesthetics of the baroque work. You are in a building that is a listed Historic-Artistic Monument and an Asset of Cultural Interest. Enjoy the visit. We just ask that you remember that you are inside a church and please be silent and do not touch anything. The people who have received you at the door can clarify any doubts you may have. Thanks for your interest.