Valldemossa

Valldemossa (in Catalan) or Valldemosa (in Spanish) is a village and municipality on the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.

Valldemossa is famous for one landmark: the Royal Charterhouse of Jesus of Nazareth, built from the first years of the 14th century, when the mystic and philosopher Ramon Llull lived in this area of Majorca.

In the 1830s the Spanish government confiscated monasteries, and the historic estate was sold to private owners, who have since hosted some prominent guests. These have included the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin and the French writer and pioneering feminist George Sand (who wrote a notable account of "A Winter in Majorca", describing their 1838–39 visit and praising the island's natural beauty but criticizing what she perceived as the prejudice and vices of the natives).

Later the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío was host of the Sureda y Montaner families who own the Chartreuse estate. To fight his own nightmares Rubén Dario would sleep in monk habits, however his drinking habits caused a rift with his private hosts and thus his departure from the former monastery and from Majorca.

Also Jorge Luis Borges lived in the town with his parents and his sister Norah, after the First World War let them free from their refuge in Geneva. Borges passionate friendship with the young artist Jacobo Sureda Montaner, son of the painter Pilar Montaner, was decisive for Borges writing mainly in Spanish.

Since the XIX century Valldemossa was promoted internationally as a beautiful spot thanks to the affection of a distinguished traveller and cultural writer, the Austrian Archduke Ludwig Salvator.

As a trivia,until this year's elections the town's mayor was the only one in the democratic Kingdom of Spain to remain in office from the times of the Francoist dictatorship (which legally disappeared as the current Spanish Constitution of 1978 was passed)

External links

* [http://www.valldemossa.es Official website]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14688 French text of George Sand's "A Winter in Majorca" ("Un hiver à Majorque") at the Gutenberg Website]
* [http://www.amigos-de-borges.net/site/english/foundation/ International Foundation Can Mossenya - Jorge Luis Borges]