The Santuari de Lluc is a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

and

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

site located in the municipality of

Escorca Escorca () is a municipality in northwest Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands, Spain. Hills * Puig Major (1445 m) * Puig de Massanella (1364 m) * Puig Tomir Puig Tomir is a mountain near Lluc, situated in the Serra de Tramuntana on the ...

in north-west

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 is located in a basin on a height of 525 metres and is surrounded by a number of high mountains such as the

Puig de Massanella Puig de Massanella is the second highest peak on the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is situated in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains. It is the highest peak on the island whose summit is accessible, as its higher neighbour Puig Major has a militar ...

. The sanctuary was founded in the 13th century after a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

shepherd found a statue of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

on the site where the monastery was later erected. Lluc is considered to be the most important pilgrimage site on Majorca. It is also known for its

boys' choir A boys' choir is a choir primarily made up of choirboys who have yet to begin puberty or are in the early to middle stages of puberty and so retain their more highly pitched childhood voice type. Members of a boys' choir are technically known as '' ...

, Els Blauets (a name derived from the blue

cassock The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denomi ...

s worn by the boys), which was founded in 1531; the choir holds regular concerts and has gained international fame. A boarding school and numerous tourist-orientated facilities are to be found in the town. Today, the cells of former monks are leased to visitors. As it is located centrally in the

Serra de Tramuntana The Serra de Tramuntana (, es, Sierra de Tramontana) is a mountain range running southwest–northeast which forms the northern backbone of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is also the name given to the comarca of the same area. On 27 June 201 ...

the monastery is often used as a starting point for walking-tours. Each year, on the first weekend in August, there is a night walk from Palma to the sanctuary. The walk commences at 23:00 hours, leaving from the capital's Plaça Güell. Behind the monastery buildings is a botanical garden trail, containing a small exposition on preserving the environment of the Majorcan mountain region.

External links

Official Site of the Santuari de Lluc (Multi-language including English)
{{Coord, 39.823, N, 2.884, E, display=title, source:dewiki Lluc Buildings and structures in Mallorca Basilica churches in Spain Tourist attractions in Mallorca