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MONTI-SION BUILDING

Carrer de Jesús, 42

Monti-Sion is linked to three of the most famous Pollença citizens ever

Saint Ignaci's School, popularly known as Edificio Monti-sion, was built by the Jesuits (1) between 1696 and 1738.

This religious order actually started using the building in 1703. It initially included a church and a convent, which were abandoned in 1767 after the Jesuits were expelled from Spain upon orders from King Carlos III.

This is why most of the furniture and paintings found in the building are not original, but instead come from other churches or were added during major renovation works in the late nineteenth century, when part of the building was set aside for council offices and local courts, while the temple once again became a place of worship. In the twentieth century it was also home to a state school.

But the name Monti-Sion is also linked to three of the most famous Pollença citizens ever. The first is musician Miquel Capllonch (1861-1935), who composed several pieces for the church choir and succeeded in bringing classical music, previously thought of as elitist, to the town. Meanwhile, Mateu Rotger, considered the first historian of Pollença, began renovating the building in 1885, a project which was then taken over by one of Pollença's most acclaimed sons, the poet Miquel Costa i Llobera (1854-1922), who came from one of the town's wealthiest and most famous families. What's more, he was a priest at the Montisión church and also a key player in its renovation in the late nineteenth century, even donating some of his own paintings.

(1) Jesuits: The Society of Jesus, whose members are popularly known as Jesuits, is currently the largest male-only Catholic religious order, with ministries in 127 countries. Its members, including people who are neither priests nor monks, profess vows of obedience, poverty, chastity and allegiance to the Pope, and receive intense scholastic training from the moment they enter the order. As a feature of their apostolate, Jesuits must always be willing to serve Christ and the Church wherever their service may be necessary and urgent. Famous Jesuits, besides the Society's founder St. Ignatius of Loyola, include St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Borgia and the current Pope, Francis I.