Mallorca
• Issue No. 2022 • 4 - 10 April 2024
Live crucifixion THE traditional descent from the cross is the most powerful religious expression during Holy Week. Fervour in the village of Biniamar, northwest of Inca, reached a peak on Good Friday with the dramatisation of Jesus Christ’s descent from the cross, known as the ‘davallament’. In many towns, the wooden effigy of Christ is replaced by a live man. The congregation processed from the sombre Good Friday mass in respectful silence, halting at the main square lined by an expectant crowd. The entrance to the imposing ‘New’ church glowed red, and dramatic music began to intone from inside. The crowd surged up the steps. Inside, a poignant scene awaited. A man wearing nothing but a loincloth was hanging from a cross, a group of Roman soldiers and three women in black below him. The accomplished actor playing Jesus spoke a few powerful words, briefly agonised, then expired. A medley of plangent melodies, including fragments of Mozart’s Requiem in D minor and Barber’s Adagio for strings, brought many of the spectators to tears as the soldiers lowered Christ from the cross and laid him in his mother’s arms.
A SHIP sunk in the Bay of Palma some 1,500 years ago is being raised. In 2019, a diver made the chance discovery of a wreck of a fourth century ship a few metres from Fontanelles beach in the bay of Palma. It was submerged in shallow water, not far from the shore and was carrying a cargo of 300 sealed amphorae. On April 2, the Heritage department of the Consell de Mallorca will start the process of preparing the vessel to bring it to the sur-
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Yachting glamour THE nautical season begins with the annual Palma International Boat Show from April 25 to 28. This year the programme will be particularly special, as it marks the 40th anniversary of the boat show. With more than 30,000 visitors each year, the boat show is a major meeting of professionals. The Palma Superyacht Village of around 80 luxury yachts is a unique pre-season showcase where major transactions take place. The show takes place at the Moll Vell in Palma from 10 am to 8 pm. Tickets cost €11. The Balearic Superyacht Forum will be hosted at the Palma Auditorium, within easy walking distance of the town centre, on April 24 and 25. This is a strategic think tank and experiential event which aims to foster insightful discussions and engage in hands-on workshops. Proudly participating in the 40th anniversary edition is Ugo Pellegrino’s Arcadia Yachts, premiering the Sherpa 80 superyacht at stand 105 in zone 4.
Enactment at Biniamar.
The neogothic ‘new’ church or cathedral dates back 110 years but was never finished. The main financer, Antoni Maura, had lost political influence and the budget ran out before the roof could
be built. The atmospheric church is host to many cultural events, notably the rampaging devils and fireworks in January for San Antoni celebrations and opera stagings in the summer.
Sunken ship face. They aim to build a 12-metre replica. The ancient ship will then be moved to a pond being dug in the Sant Carles castle in Porto Pi for desalination
towards the end of the year. The complex project has been named ‘Arqueomallornauta’. The ship is believed to have been sailing from Cartagena to Rome.
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