Algaida is a municipality on the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Balearic island of

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

. It has an area of 89.70 km² with 4,528 inhabitants ().

Geography

The municipality of Algaida is located in the south-east of the island of Majorca, 22 km along the main highway from Palma to

Manacor Manacor () is a town and municipality on the island of Mallorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the second largest town in Mallorca, after the capital of Palma. The municipality has tourist areas such a ...

. The municipality encompasses six small mountains, the highest and most famous of which is ''

Puig de Randa Puig de Randa is a mountain in the island of Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain. It is included in the municipal territory of Algaida, and, on its top, is home to the Sanctuary of Cura. The Puig de Randa is the place where Ramon Llull went to do ...

'' at 543 m. Rainfall can occur all year round. The driest months is July with an average rainfall of 12.5 L/m². The heaviest rainfall in a single 24-hour period was on 17 September 1943 at 97 L/m².

History

The name ''Algaida'' stems from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

word ''al-gaida'' (meaning "the Base"). The municipality comprises Algaida, Pina and Randa. Algaida was first recorded in the year 1232. The most well-known of these communities is Randa, which contains the

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by ...

''Puig de Randa'', on which there are located three secluded monasteries.

Demographics

The population spread is a follows. Figures are accurate as of 1 January 2005 and do not include isolated communities (and thus do not comprise the total number of inhabitants of Algaida). * Algaida (2,423 inhabitants) * Pina (391 inhabitants) * Randa (62 inhabitants)

Main sights

Sanctuarys in the Puig de Randa include, on a lower level, the '' Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Gracia'', a hermitage from the 15th century, built like a swallow's nest on a promontory. On the second level stands the '' Santuario de Sant Honorat'' from the 14th century. Finally, at the top of the mountain stands the '' Santuario Nuestra Señora de Cura'', which since 1275 has been the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

hermitage of

Ramon Llull Ramon Llull (; c. 1232 – c. 1315/16) was a philosopher, theologian, poet, missionary, and Christian apologist from the Kingdom of Majorca. He invented a philosophical system known as the ''Art'', conceived as a type of universal logic to pro ...

, Majorca's greatest religious philosopher and scholar, born to

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

parents in 1232 in Palma. ''Puig de Randa'' also houses the Ramon Llull Museum and a school. Points of interest in Algaida town include ''Punxuat'', ''Albenya'', the pilgrimage chapel of ''Mare de Déu de la Pau de Catellitx'' and several windmills. The town also contains ''Gordiola'', the oldest glass blower's in Majorca, located just outside Algaida in the direction of Palma. In the factory of the Gordiola family, one can observe the glass-blowers making various pieces of art. Sights in Randa include the parish church of the ''Immaculada'' and Ramon Llull, the cross of Randa, the cross of ''Sant Honorat'', the Randa springs, the Sanctuary of ''Mare de Déu de Cura'' and the panoramic views from the Randa mesa. Pina is home to the parish church of ''Sants Cosme i Damià'', the convent and a well. On the main road to Manacor there stands a promotional black bull of the

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

sherry Sherry ( es, jerez ) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versi ...

-distiller Osborne, the only one on Majorca. The bull, perceived by advocates of Majorcan independence as a symbol of foreign dominance, has sustained several attacks and each time been rebuilt. The bull is now protected throughout Spain as a "National Cultural Icon".

References

External links

Informació de l'Institut d'Estadística de les Illes Balears
— data information from the Balearic Institute of Statistics.
Algaida tourist guide and information
{{coord, 39, 33, 30, N, 2, 53, 30, E, display=title Municipalities in Mallorca Populated places in Mallorca